Mockingbird
by Anshin's Archives
Summary: Chapter 14 up! What if it had been Gohan that travelled back in time instead of Trunks? Would anything have changed? Would everything? This starts during the Trunks special, so if you haven't seen it, you'll be lost. Full sumary inside.
1. Prologue

This is what happens when I'm in an unusually inspired mood, feel like writing angst, and have Creed's _Weathered _turned up waaay too loud.  I got to thinking one day, "What if Gohan had survived what was supposed to be his final fight?  What if Trunks had died instead?  What if Gohan had been the one that traveled back in time to deliver the vaccine and warn the Z Warriors of the Jinzouningen?"  This is what flowed out of my pencil over the weekend.  Well, this and a picture of Mirai Gohan in Goth clothes, but we won't go into that.

MG: *in his Goth outfit* You like questioning everything, don't you?

I have a very inquisitive mind.

MG:  I noticed.  Readers, pay attention to how much Anshin tortures me in this fic!

Whaaaat? *innocent face*  

MG:  You enjoy torturing me way too much.

So?  I like seeing my Bishies suffer.

MG:  *inches away* Uh-huh.  Someone help me!  Make her stop with the overly-angsty Mirai fics already!

Not gonna happen, Gohan.  You know you love me.

MG:  *rolls eyes* Sometimes I wonder why.

HEY!  *growls* Okay, let's get on with the fic.

MG:  Aren't you forgetting something?  

Oh yeah, disclaimer.  Lemme check…mmm, nope, still don't own DBZ.  Dang.

MG:  I would run for my life and my sanity if you owned DBZ.

*Vegeta Smirk* Then you've got nothing to complain about as long as what I write remains nothing more than fanfic.  Now on with the story! (Oh yeah—this begins in the middle of Gohan's Final Fight from the Trunks special, so if you don't know what the heck's going on, tell me and I'll rewrite it, 'kay?)

*****

The battle continued to rage on as the rain poured down on the city that now lay in ruins.  The tide had changed—the confident demi-Saiyan was now loosing.  However, he had fully expected it to be his final fight.

            Lightning flashed overhead, and Gohan noticed a streak of light racing towards them accompanied by a familiar ki signature.  "Oh, God, no…" he muttered to himself, watching the form approach.  "Trunks, I told you to stay put!  This is my battle!"

            A kick to the back sent Gohan flying, and he found he was unable to right himself.  The forms of the Jinzouningen appeared above him; each had a hand raised in the attack position.  It was almost over…

            The pseudo-ki began to rain down all around him, burning his already-battered flesh and tearing through his gi.  Suddenly, a shadow came between him and the blinding curtain of energy pouring down form the Jinzouningen.

            "No! Trunks!  What are you doing?" Gohan yelled as he caught himself.

            "I can't let you die, Gohan-san!" Trunks called back as he used his body to shield the older man form the blasts.

            The shower of energy ceased, and both Jinzouningen dashed towards the two half-Saiyans.  Trunks was badly injured, Gohan was worn out from the battle, and neither had the strength to retaliate.

            Juunanagou plowed his fist into Gohan's stomach, knocking the wind out of him.  Gohan doubled over, choking and gasping for air, then his hair faded from gold to black as his eyes rolled back and he fell to the ground ten stories below.

            "You shouldn't have come, kid, " Juhachigou said, holding up Trunks by the throat.  The boy was already too far gone, and merely hung limply in the female Jinzouningen's death grip.  Juhachigou put her hand to his chest and charged up a blast.

            Juunanagou hovered a few feet away, his arms folded.  "Do it already.  The rain's messing up my hair."

            "With pleasure," his twin replied, deploying the blast.

            She dropped Trunks's lifeless body, looked at her brother, and shrugged.  "That's the last of him.  What about the other one?"

            "I dunno.  But who cares?  We can deal with just one of them any time, but the purple-haired brat was getting annoying."

            "True…let's go.  My clothes are getting all wet."

            With that, they took off into the darkening sky.

            Gohan forced his eyes open.  He pushed himself up out of the puddle he was lying in and shook his head in an attempt to get rid of the dizziness enveloping him.  He coughed once, then flopped onto his back.  His head hurt, and it was still raining.  He suddenly sat up straight as a thought hit him—

            'Where's Trunks?'

            He looked around frantically and tried to find Trunks's ki, but could sense nothing.  Another bolt of lightning illuminated the sky, and something caught Gohan's eye—a limp, bloody figure lying in a puddle about twelve feet away.

            Gohan froze as his heart caught in his throat.  He stared at the body a minute, then stood up.  On shaky legs, he walked hesitantly towards it, all too aware of what he was about to find.  His entire body went numb from shock as he fell on his knees next to the young boy.

            "Oh my God…Trunks…"

            He slowly reached down to lift Trunks.  "I'm so sorry…man, what am I gonna tell your mother?  Oh, God, I'm so sorry, little brother…"

            Gohan cradled Trunks's body close to his chest as he rocked gently back and forth.  His body shook with quiet sobs, but the only thing that wet his face was the rain falling steadily from the heavens like angels' tears.

*****

MG: *blinks, his jaw slightly slack* Dang, girl, I thought you liked Trunks more than that.

Well, yeah, I do.  I mean, he's my second-favorite character!  I just…have a really weird fetish with extreme angst.  So what do you think?  Pleeeeeeeease review! *gives chibi eyes*   I'll give everyone that reviews a plushie of their favorite anime character!

MG: Resorting to bribery?  Again?

Shaddup, Gohan.  So…yeah.  If I get enough reviews, the next chapter will be typed and posted tomorrow.  Homework permitting, of course. *gags*  Well, ja ne!


	2. Realization

*squeals and dances around like a fool* YEEEEHAAAA! I got 10 reviews in one day! 

MG: *on the floor with a pillow over his head* _Please_ try not to hit such high octaves when you squeal…

Gomen nasai, Gohan-chan! *cuddles Gohan*  Now, time for the feedback to all of my wonderful reviewers!

SSH: Yeah, so I'm making you read it again, but this is the only way you're gonna see the updates.  I only had 6 chappies written when I started posting it…^^; Anyhoo, here's a Chichi plushie.  Just don't use it on Goku and Mystic unless they really deserve it, 'kay?

Cory: I **hope** you all think it's awesome…thanks!

Chris-Redfield26: Thankies! Will do!

Frying Pan of DOOM: Ack, you're a household name around here! I have an Undentable Swiss-Army FPoD that I use on Gohan-chan a lot…^^;;;

Saiyagal: Thanks! Here ya go! *hands her a Pan plushie*

Android 71: Ooh, I'm so thrilled that you're reading this! I LOVE your stories!  Sorry, but he probably won't go SSJ2 until later on. Glad you like it!

Goten's Guardian Angel: YEAH! Gohan 4 ever! *hands her a Chibi Gohan plushie*

Chibi Lauryn: Yeah, I love Trunks too, but I had to do it.  Gomen, Trunks-chan fans!

Vejita-Girl: Don't worry, I didn't forget.  That point will make itself _plenty_ obvious in upcoming chappies.

SparkyKnight: Yeah, well, it's supposed to be sad.  Herejago! *hands over the Heero plushie* Gotta love Gundam Wing!

Contrail: Arigatou! It was short 'cause that was actually the prologue…I'll try to make the rest of my chapters longer.

Well, that's everyone…

MG: I get to go SSJ2? Cool!

Yeah, but you won't like what I put you through for you to get there.

MG: *sweatdrop* I was afraid of that…let's get on with it, shall we?

Oshkies! Oh yeah-disclaimer: Do I look like a middle-aged Japanese man with glasses? Didn't think so. Therefore, I do not own DBZ.

*****

            The door slid open, and Bulma heard heavy footsteps down the hall.  She stood in the kitchen over the stove, knowing that when the demi-Saiyans got back they would be hungry.  There was a soft groan and a deep, shaky intake of air from the living room, then the sound of water dripping steadily onto the tiled kitchen floor.

            "Get a towel, Gohan," Bulma said, stirring her pot of soup.  The doorframe creaked slightly as Gohan leaned against it, but the dripping sound pursued.

            "Gohan—" Bulma turned around to look at the young man.  She paused and stared at him a minute, then looked down at the puddle forming at his feet.  She gasped—the water was tinted red.  "Oh my gosh, you're bleeding!  Let me get some bandages."  Bulma tried to push past him into the living room, but Gohan put his arm up to block the doorway.  Bulma looked up at him, and he stared back at her with a flat expression and blank eyes.

            "Bulma…I'm sorry.  I tried."

            She tilted her head in confusion.  "What do you mean?  Where's Trunks?"  Panic began to enter her tone.  Gohan looked back over his shoulder at the lavender-haired teenager on the couch, then back at Bulma.  "Tell me he's alright, Gohan," she said, staring at her son.

            Gohan swallowed hard, shook his head, and said, "I'm sorry.  I…I tried...I couldn't…" He looked away, lowered his arm, and wandered back to the guest room, leaving a reddish trail of water behind.

            Bulma ran over to the couch where Gohan had laid Trunks's body.  She clasped her hands over her mouth and fell to her knees, whispering "Oh my God…" over and over.

            Trunks's clothes were ragged, wet, and stained with blood, and a hole pierced his chest.  His eyes were closed, his hair was stuck to his forehead, and his body was limp.  Bulma wrapped her arms around his body and held his head close to her heart.  Tears streaked her face.  "Hush, little baby, don't say a word, Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird."  Bulma sang softly through the sobs that racked her body.  "And if that mockingbird don't sing, Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring."

            Gohan fell backwards onto the bed and ran his hand through his drenched black hair, pacing his breathing and trying to calm himself.  He stared with slightly glazed eyes at the ceiling as the fan blades slowly turned.

            His chest felt empty and his mind was clouded.  The only thought that had even entered his mind was that it had been his battle, and because of a few minuscule miscalculations, his little brother had paid the ultimate price.

            His eyes were dry, as they had been for almost thirteen years.  He has grown so hardened to the circumstances that he had forgotten how to cry.  So he just layed there, numb with shock, until the sound of raindrops hitting the roof lulled him to sleep.

            Gohan awoke early the next morning.  He slipped out the back window and glided silently up to the roof.  The rain had ceased sometime in the night, and the sun was just beginning to stretch above the horizon.  Within seconds, the bright orange sphere had painted the sky a brilliant shade of gold and tipped the clouds in neon pink.  Soft pastels played in the upper atmosphere until the sky faded to an odd shade of lilac and then to blue.

            Gohan smiled a bit and leaned back.  Sitting on the roof to watch the sunrise had always been a release for him, and it felt good to be out in the cool, misty morning air.  "Trunks would've loved this," he said to himself as he flew back down to his window and into the room.

            He struggled a minute to peel off the still-wet gi he'd almost forgot he had on, then began rummaging through the drawers.  He finally pulled out the pair of jeans and t-shirt he always kept at Capsule, and he flung them on.  He took a deep breath, closed the window, and headed downstairs.

            The soft sound of bare feet on the carpeted stairway roused Bulma from the light slumber she had fallen into.  She had fallen asleep sitting in the living room floor with her head on Trunks's stomach.

            "You okay?" came the soft, gentle voice from the doorway.  Bulma looked up at Gohan and nodded, then wiped the tear-trails from her cheeks.  She ran her hand over Trunks's face, brushing the hair away from his eyes.

            "He feels so cold…" she whispered.

            Gohan just looked at his young friend a moment, then crossed the room and sat on the floor next to Bulma.  "You have no idea how sorry I am," he said quietly.  "I told him to stay put.  I thought he's be safe, but…" His voice trailed off.  He really didn't know what to say.  "I know all the apologies in the world won't help, but I'm so sorry."

            Their eyes met, and the tears began to run down Bulma's face again.  "I never wanted him to fight.  He was my little boy, but he had his father's blood.  I don't blame you, Gohan.  He knew you would've died for him, and he felt the same way."

            Gohan looked away, then ran his hand through the boy's lilac hair.  "That's the color the sunrise was," he said to himself.  Bulma smiled a bit, then looked up at Gohan as he stood and headed for the other stairway.

            "Gohan…?"

            "I'm going down to the lab."

            Bulma watched him head down the stairs, confused.  She pulled the blue wool blanket up to Trunks's chin, stood up, and followed him.

            Gohan cursed under his breath again as he dodged more falling objects.  He was hovering in mid-air, rummaging around the top shelf for something.  "Ahah!" he said, grabbing a small piece of paper from behind two beakers.  He folded it in half and stuffed it in his pocket, then dropped to the ground.  He whirled around as his Saiyan ears picked up the sound of someone coming down the hall.

            "What are you looking for?"  Bulma asked from the doorway.  Gohan shoved the paper deeper into his pocket and quickly replied, "Nothing."

            The beaker he had just pushed aside chose that moment to leap off the shelf and bounce off of Gohan's head.  "Ow!" he yelled, his hand flying up to catch the glass container.  Bulma smiled as Gohan sat it down on the counter and proceeded to rub his head.

            "Nice catch," she said.  

Gohan shrugged.  "Saiyan reflexes."  He crossed the room and started back down the hall, deep in thought and unconsciously rubbing his left shoulder again.

"What were you looking for?" Bulma repeated.  Gohan shook his head and headed back up to the living room.

By the time Bulma reached the living room, Gohan was crouched by the couch, struggling to lift Trunks over his shoulder.  Bulma's expression twisted to one of mixed sorrow, anguish, and pity.  "Let me help," she said, starting towards the couch.

Gohan pursed his lips, shook his head, and hoisted the boy over his shoulder.  "No, I've got him."  His features were contorted to a look of pure frustration.  He stood and looked at Bulma as an awkward silence ensued.  Both knew what had to be done.  Neither wanted to do it.

"I've got the door," Bulma said, barely above a whisper.

*****

Another short chappie, I know.  Waaah, poor Gohan-chan! *glomps Gohan*

MG: Yeah…Ani, I love you and all, but I…can't…breathe…

Gomen! *lets go*  I'll post the next chapter soon…I hope…I think I'm going to New Orleans on Sunday, so I may not get to update again until the middle of next week.  It's not that I don't have it written, I just don't have it typed.  

MG: Lazy.

*glares* I am not.  Okay, so I am, but that's beside the point.  So please don't kill me if I don't update.  Well, Ja ne!  New reviewers get a plushie, returning reviewers get sweets!

MG: *slaps forehead* That's just what I need.  A bunch of sugar-hyped fangirls and authoresses after me. *rolls eyes*  


	3. Fear

Aieee! Everyone loves my story! *tosses candy at everyone that reviewed*  

MG: Nani? You're giving them more sugar? Oi…*goes back to reading reviews* Wow…these are really nice…you haven't gotten any flames yet.

That's because they all know that if you play with fire, you'll get burned. ^__^

MG: Um…yeah…n-nani? Uh, Ani, you should hurry up and get on with the reviewer feedback so you can get to the story…*sweatdrop*

Huh? Why?

MG: Read this. *hands her the reviews*

Oh dear…I'd better hurry it up then…*sweatdrop*

sakura117us: Thankies!

Chris-Redfield26: Uh…rabid monkey…named Bobo? I'm typin', I'm typin' already!

Frying Pan of DOOM: Glad you like it!

Destiny's Light: ^_______^  Oh yeah! I'll get to that in about two chappies…I think…

Trunks Soatome: Thank you! 

Contrail: Yeah, but it's supposed to be sad.  I just like playing with people's heartstrings. 

            MG: That's what worries me.

            Oh yeah, and here's your plushie! *hands her a Duo plushie* DUO ROCKS! 

Saiyagal: First a rabid monkey named Bobo, now secret ninja monkeys? O.O;

            MG: …and they're gonna kidnap me? O.O; Now I'm worried, Ani.

notgoingtotellyou: Will do!

Matt Zero: I agree.  Mystic Gohan is soooo awesome!

            MG: More awesome than me?

            Nah, you're way cooler that Present Gohan.  But there aren't enough Mirai Gohan stories!!!!!

Chibi Lauryn: Class? *gags* I'm glad you like it!

Jadesaber: Thanks! Will do!

Android 71: You're welcome, and thanks! Oi, everyone wants to know what's on that piece of paper…

*****

            Bulma gently took her son's body from Gohan and laid it in the casket.  She swallowed hard and wiped the brimming tears from her eyes as Gohan closed the lid.  He lifted one end of the rustic coffin as Bulma lifted the other, and they lowered it into the grave beside Vegeta's.

            All too soon was the dirt replaced and the headstone laid.  It simply said 'Trunks Briefs' and nothing more.  Both Bulma and Gohan agreed that it was too cruel to put dates on the stone.

            The wind picked up, and Bulma fell to her knees beside the grave.  She buried her face in her hands.  Gohan kneeled next to her and put his arm around her shoulders.

            "Gohan…what kind of a world do we live in? When should a mother ever have to bury her 14-year-old son?"

            "I know.  Life is never fair.  Things like this should never happen, but they do.  And right now, I can't do anything about it."

            Bulma looked up at the young man who was now staring blankly at the grave as the wind tossed his thick, black hair.  She knew he was having a hard time adjusting to everything that had happened lately, but she wished he would stop mentally beating himself up over it.

            "I should've been able to prevent his death," Gohan continued. "I should've been able to do something.  But I've felt so useless since I lost my arm…"

            "Gohan, stop talking like that.  I doubt there was much you could've done even if you hadn't been injured.  I—"

            Gohan abruptly stood up, unintentionally cutting her off.  "Goodbye, little brother.  Until we meet again," he said, half to himself, as he turned to walk away.  He looked skyward and half-heartedly called out, "Nimbus!"  Even the yellow cloud seemed to be worn with grief as it sailed down to Earth.  Gohan mounted the cloud and looked back at Bulma.  "Be careful walking home."

            "Where are you going?"

            "Home."

            Bulma nodded once.  Gohan forced a small smile, and Nimbus took off over the northwest horizon.

            He had forgotten how far it was between West Capitol and his house, but he was reluctant to make Nimbus move any faster.  It had been a while since he had been home, and he wasn't exactly looking forward to his mother's inevitable reaction.

            Gohan was deep in thought, and the light was dim in his obsidian eyes.  The sun was at his back, for it was still before noon.  A sudden chill ran down his spine, and the feeling of imminent danger prickled his senses.  His muscles tensed, and he looked around, slowing Nimbus to a mere crawl.

            "God, Gohan, you're just paranoid," he muttered to himself.  No sooner were the words out of his mouth than something swift slammed against the back of his head, knocking him off the cloud and temporarily blurring his vision.

            "Well, well, well.  What have we here?" a smooth, taunting voice said.  Gohan looked up to see the raven-haired Jinzouningen hovering a few feet in front of him.

            "You…"he growled, snapping quickly into a defensive stance.

            "Me?  What about me?  Oh…that little incident the other day.  Actually, that was my dear twin sister," Juunanagou said with a smile.  "I'm glad to see you're alright.  I was afraid we'd broken our toy for good that time," he added coolly.

            "I don't care which one of you it was.  I'm going to permanently deactivate both of you for ever messing with me in the first place."

            Juunanagou threw his hands up in the air in an unenthusiastic mockery of fear.  "Oh no.  I am so very scared.  I am all alone in the middle of nowhere and the one-armed freak is going to do me in.  Help me, save me."  He rolled his eyes and folded his arms.

            Gohan narrowed his eyes and clenched his teeth.  "I may only have one arm, but that's all I need to get rid of you," he hissed.  "I am not in a very pleasant mood today, and if you value your circuitry, you should get moving."  With that, he powered up to Super Saiyan and charged forward.

            Juunanagou simply moved to one side and put up a block as Gohan spun and fired a ki blast at him.

            "You are way too predictable," he said, dodging everything the 23-year-old threw at him.  Gohan dashed towards the Jinzouningen and plowed his knee into Juunanagou's stomach.

            "Was that predictable?" he asked sarcastically as Juunanagou doubled over.

            "I'm impressed," Juunanagou said.  He straightened back up and casually wiped the trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth.  "But unfortunately, that little stunt is gonna cost you."

            The golden aura surrounded Gohan's form once more and he drew back his fist and drove it with all his strength directly at Juunanagou's face.

            He froze as he realized what had happened.  Juunanagou had his hand wrapped tightly around Gohan's wrist, holding his fist a half an inch from its target.  "Nice catch, don't you think?" the Jinzouningen taunted.  Gohan jerked backwards, but Juunanagou didn't budge.  He simply tightened his grip.

            Sweat poured down Gohan's face as he tried and failed again and again to free his hand.  "Let me go!" he yelled.

            Juunanagou smiled.  "Oh, am I hurting you?"  Before Gohan could blink, Juunanagou was behind him with his left arm around Gohan's throat.  He twisted the Super Saiyan's arm backwards and pinned it behind the young man's back.

            Gohan squeezed his eyes shut and drew in a sharp breath.  He leaned back towards Juunanagou to relieve the pressure as the Jinzouningen continued to twist his arm.

            "Come on, scream already!  I know I'm hurting you more than that—"  He was cut off by a sickeningly loud pop as the two bones in Gohan's shoulder separated.  Gohan cried out and would have doubled over had Juunanagou not had him in a headlock.  Juunanagou smirked and pulled Gohan backward against his chest.  He leaned forward to whisper in his ear.  "You know, I could rip off this arm just as easily as I took off your other one."  He let go and kicked Gohan back towards the Nimbus Cloud.  "But if I did that, you couldn't fight, and then what would I have to play with?  Go home, Son Gohan.  Come find me when you think you'll actually be a challenge for me."  He folded his arms, snorted at Gohan, and flew away.

            Gohan swallowed hard.  His breathing had become somewhat laboured and he could feel his heart pounding in his chest.  He glanced down at his arm, which now hung limply at his side.  It was still functional, but it hurt to move it at all.  He dropped himself onto the yellow cloud, and at the same time, dropped out of Super Saiyan.

            He cursed under his breath and instructed Nimbus to fly as fast as possible home.  As if it could sense the urgency of the situation, it carried Gohan back home at top speed.

            Nimbus screeched to a halt directly above the Son residence and slowly dropped straight down.  The Ox King let go of the shovel he was holding and rushed around to the front yard.  "Gohan, is that you?" he called.  The cloud held its position a few feet above the ground as the Ox King approached.

            Gohan half-fell off Nimbus and looked up at his grandfather.  "Hi, Grampa," he said weakly.

            "Gohan what happened to you?  You look terrible."

            "I just had a little run-in with Jinzouningen Juunanagou.  Could you do me a favor and pull my shoulder back into place?"  He lifted his hand a little.  The Ox King looked at him a moment, then firmly grasped Gohan's arm.

            "This is gonna hurt," he said.  Gohan nodded, braced himself, and winced as his grandfather yanked back.  There was a loud crack and the Ox King let go.

            "Are you okay?" he asked.  

Gohan closed his eyes and nodded again.  "Yeah, thanks."  He opened his eyes and looked towards the house.  "Where's Mom?"

"In the kitchen, I think."

Gohan started towards the door, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.  He looked up at the bearded man and smiled.  Really, I'm alright, Grampa."  He opened the door, took a deep breath, and walked into the house.

*****

MG: *glares at Anshin* You just had to make me fight Juunanagou, didn't you?

Yup.  Sorry, Gohan-san!  I needed a battle scene! And besides, we love you more when you're getting beat up because we feel sorry for you.  It's called sympathy.

MG: It's called 'maternal instinct', I think.

You know, you may be on to something there.  Oh yeah-and to my wonderful audience:  I will be gone until Thursday to New Orleans.  So the next update probably won't be until Friday, since I won't have free access to a computer while I'm on vacation and it's a ten-hour drive.

MG: I'm sorry.  Do you want me to wake you up in the morning since your dad wants to pull out before 7:00? *sarcastic smirk* And here I thought spring break was supposed to mean sleeping in.

*growls* I am NOT a morning person…well, sayonara, minna-san!       


	4. Heartache

I'm BAAAAAAAaaack!

MG: *monotone* Everyone don't get too excited, now.

I know everyone's gonna kill me 'cause he's not going back in time yet…

MG: But she already had this written up to chapter six before she ever posted it in the first place.

Yeah…but now they're all gonna kill me because I've got that much written and I'm not updating faster…I'M A FRESHMAN, PEOPLES! I HAVE HOMEWORK!

MG: That's her excuse for everything.  The real reason is this chronic condition called 'teenage laziness'.

*growls* Well, if you're so great, my dear Gohan-san, why don't you type it for me? *creepy/sweet smile*

MG: Because, my dear Anshin, I only have one hand, so it would take twice as long. *forced smile*

Hn. Don't think that won't stop me from making you do it, just 'cause I'm mean like that.  Well, on with the reviewer feedback.

Matt Zero: First question-Uh…lemme check…end of chapter five? *ducks rotten tomatoes from everyone*  Second question-He'll reach SSJ2 somewhere along the way.  And the title…can I get back to you on that one?  I don't really remember what I was thinking when I came up with the title. ^^;;;

Frying Pan of DOOM: Yeah, he'll go back to when Goku's alive.  He'll go back about like Trunks did.

Chibi Lauryn: Gohan has a comment…

            MG: Second best? Man, everyone loves Trunks! What's the deal?

            Oh, chill. I made a shrine to you, so you can't complain that much. (Anyone that wants to see my Mirai Gohan page, it's on my bio. ^___^)

Sunshine: I actually had you in tears? *flashes 'victory' sign* Oi…look at all the compliments…domo arigatou! Three times a day, huh? I feel loved…

            MG: She's right! My life is crap! At least I could've reached home in peace! I think I'll move in with her…

            Oh, no you don't.  *grabs him by the collar* I'll give him a break.  Don't worry.  I love him more than that! *hugs Gohan*

Chris-Redfield26: I'm sorry! I had to go!

            MG: I had to let her go! She's an authoress, and I really don't wanna get on her dad's bad side…*finishes reading review* 'let Anshin go…stalking…rest of your friggin life'? Well, considering the way Ani's treating me in this fic, my life may not be that long.  Didja really have to go and choke me? *rubs neck*

            I'm not gonna kill you off, Gohan. Don't worry. ^__^

Goten's Guardian Angel: MG: ACK! Too…tight…can't....breathe…

Kerwin Inuyasha: Thanks! Battles are my thing…I just don't do romance.  That category belongs to my friend Lil-Pink-Mew. Oh yeah-Inuyasha rocks! 

Sailor Vegeta: He's mean, but he's soooo much fun to write! And sorry, but you can't kill him.

            MG: Besides, he's mine. *smirks, eyes flash green*

            Erm…yeah…*inches away*

cory: Yeah, yeah, I'm getting to it!

            MG: Oh, is that what you call it? *rolls eyes* Everyone hates me.

Saiyagal: Uh…well…just don't order it, okay?  I'm not asking you this for Gohan's sake, it's for the monkeys' sake.  I'm afraid he would kill them if they tried to kidnap him.  And yeah, but I don't think he'll fight Frieza.  Sorry, but that's Goku's battle. 

Android 71: I'm back, and I'm updating! A day sooner than planned, too!

            MG: Well, not _everyone_ hates me, apparently…*puts Sunshine and A71 on his list of people to be nice to*

notgoingtotellyou: It's so good, cats ask for it by name! *begins singing* Meow meow meow meow…

            MG: *slaps forehead* You just had to get her started, didn't you?

sakura117us: Yeah, poor Gohan.

            MG: Yeah, poor me.

Oi, I took too long with the feedback! On to the fic!

*****

            "Dad? Are you finished?" a voice called from the kitchen.  Chichi turned the heat down on the stove and stepped out into the hall.  She nearly dropped the towel she was holding when she saw who it was.  "Gohan…"

            "Hi, Mom."

            Chichi tossed the towel onto the counter and ran down the hall.  She wrapped her arms around her son, and he put his hand on her back.  "Good Lord, Gohan, where have you been?"  She stepped back and looked at him.  "Oh my God, what happened to you?  Your arm—"

            "I'm fine, Mom."

            "But you…"

            "I was in a bad fight about a month ago.  I'm fine."

            Chichi looked up at Gohan, worry and grief in her eyes.  She knew there was more than he was telling her.  She looked deep into his eyes.  "How are Bulma and Trunks?"

            The breath caught in Gohan's throat, and he looked away.  "Bulma's fine," he said quietly.

            "And Trunks?"

            Gohan turned away and walked into the living room.  He fell into the chair, and Chichi sat on the couch opposite him.

            "Gohan?  What is it?"

            He ran his hand through his hair and looked out the window.  "He…he died yesterday."

            Chichi froze and stared at Gohan.  She didn't know what to say.  She knew that Trunks and Gohan had always been like brothers.  "Oh."  She hesitated a moment.  "I'm sorry, son."

            "'S okay."  He stood up and went on down the hall.  "I'm gonna take a shower."

            Chichi nodded.  She stared at the table a moment, then picked up the framed picture of Goku and a nine-year-old Gohan.  "Oh, son," she said.  A tear slid down her cheek.

            Gohan leaned against the back wall of the shower as the hot spray hit him in the face.  He let all of his muscles relax, and he just stood there for several minutes, not wanting to move.

            He reached for the bar of soap, but cringed and dropped it as every muscle in his arm screamed for mercy.  He cursed out loud as he bent to pick up the white rectangle.  "Dammit.  Today is just not my day."

            After another ten minutes of watching the dirt, sweat and blood that covered his body run down the drain, he turned off the water and stepped out of the shower.  He pulled on a pair of boxers and his navy flannel pants, then picked up his shirt.  He fumbled with it a minute, then wadded it up and threw the thing at the wall.  "Screw the shirt," he muttered as he picked up the slip of paper he had had in his jeans pocket and walked into his bedroom.

            "Gohan!" His mother's voice floated down the hall.  "Dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes!"

            "'Kay," came the reply as he fell backwards onto the bed.  He unfolded the piece of paper and stared at it a minute, his tired mind not wanting to comprehend it.  He tossed it onto the desk and rolled over.  "I'll fool with it in the morning," he mumbled as he closed his eyes.  Within moments, he had drifted off; he was too tired to even bother with the blankets, opting to sleep on top of them instead.

"Gohan?"  Chichi wandered down the hall.  Dinner had been ready for half an hour, and she knew the Saiyan appetite better than that.  "Gohan, are you—"  She looked in his room, only to find him peacefully sleeping.  He was curled up on his left side with his face to the wall.

Chichi quietly approached the bed, brushed the hair out of his eyes, and kissed his temple.  His breathing remained deep and rhythmic, and he didn't stir at her touch.  She smiled.  "Sleep tight, sweetheart."

Gohan slowly opened his eyes.  He was still in the same position he had fallen asleep in, and his joints were stiff.  Sunlight was pouring through the window, indicating it was after noon.

"Man, what time is it?" he said through a yawn.  He rubbed his eyes and looked at the clock on his desk, which read 1:19.  He stretched, then glanced at the doorway.  Chichi was standing against the doorframe.  "Hey, Mom."

"Hey, baby.  Did you sleep well?"

Gohan smiled a little and nodded, then yawned again.  "I'm still tired."  A low, rumbling noise sounded, and Chichi laughed as Gohan rubbed his stomach.  "And hungry."  The classic Son Grin slowly spread across his face.  "Sorry I missed dinner.  I guess I just sorta conked out."

"It's alright.  You must've been exhausted—you slept for twenty solid hours."

"That long? Dang," he said as he turned back to stare at the wall.  Chichi smiled at him, but her expression quickly changed as she ran her eyes over his muscular, fairly scarred back.  She sat down on the edge of the bed and placed her delicate hand on his shoulder.  He involuntarily flinched at her touch, and she drew her hand away.

"I'm sorry, is your shoulder still sore?"

"No.  Just a reaction," he lied.  He didn't want his mother to worry about him any more than she already did.  Chichi's brow furrowed.

"Talk to me, Gohan.  Please."

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Then at least turn over so I can see your pretty eyes."

Gohan made no effort to move, and remained silent.  He subconsciously began rubbing his left shoulder.

"Gohan…"

"I don't want you to see me like this."  The words came out a bit more harshly than he had intended, and maternal concern overtook Chichi's expression.

"Gohan…" she repeated.  His hand tightened over his shoulder in frustration.

"Leave me alone.  I don't want to talk."

A small knot caught in Chichi's throat, and she pushed it down.  She could tell that her son was in more pain than he would let on, if more so emotionally than physically.  She simply nodded, ran her hand down his arm in a comforting gesture, and left the room.

Gohan continued to stare at the wall for several minutes after he heard the door click shut.  "Why did I do that?" he asked himself.  "Why am I pushing my own mother away?"  The childish fear he had tried so many times to bury was resurfacing, and he needed his mother more than anything.  He just couldn't admit it to himself.

He closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep.

*****

MG: Grrrr…you are so mean to me!

I'm sorry.  I'll try and insert a little humor…sooner or later…

MG: It'd better be sooner.  Your readers want me to go to the past, and they're gonna kill you for writing another short chapter. 

Chill!  I'll post chapter four tomorrow!

MG: But tomorrow is your little brother's birthday.

Oh yeah! He's turning twelve! *does Happy Hamster dance* Well, I'll just work around that.  Hopefully, you can get the time machine by Saturday evening.

MG: *in monotone again* Oh joy.  I can hardly contain my excitement.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you the King of Sarcasm.

MG: And my lovely queen, Anshin.

No, we are not going out, but I was officially dubbed the Queen of Sarcasm by my friends, LPM and sayianessonsugarhigh.  Well, go review!  Ja ne, minna-san!


	5. Terror

Konnichi-wa, minna-san, it's Gohan.  Ani's being mean today and making me type this.

Ani: I'm not being mean, it's my brother's birthday! Anyways, you love me enough to do this little favor for me, right?

Sometimes I wonder why…

Ani: HEY! 

*smirks* I know. I'm a pain in the butt. This is the last 'little favor' I'm doing for you, got it?

Ani: Yeah, whatever…*goes back to playing Budokai*

Waitaminute! I thought you were helping your mom wrap presents! 

Ani: I was. But I'm playing Budokai now. You can finish typing this chappie for me, since you've already started and all, can't you?

*growls* Sure. Why do I do these things? Anyways, on to the reviewer feedback.

Ani: You're in charge of reading reviews anyways, so this shouldn't be a problem.

I thought you were too busy playing Budokai to type this, but you're apparently not so caught up in it that you can't talk to me.

Ani: I'm playin' already! *goes back to the game*

Sunshine: You're telling me it comes out strongly…*sticks tongue out at Anshin* Oi, everyone wants me to go to the past. Well, you only have to get through one more chapter. She promises to get to that tomorrow…right?

            Ani: *furiously pressing buttons on the controller* Yeah, sure, whatever…

            *throws a pencil at her*

            Ani: ITAI!!! Gohan-san!

Frying Pan of DOOM!: Well, this is angst, after all.

trunks888: Hey, Ani! You have a new reviewer! 

            Ani: Nani? Oh, hi! *pauses the game and reads trunks888's reviews* Oh, thanks!

Android 71: *hugs her back* Wow, someone actually loves me!

            Ani: *in monotone* Yes, all bow down before the mighty King of Sarcasm…*gets cuffed, growls at Gohan* Hey, I got a hug, too! I feel loved…oh, and my bro says thanks.

Saiyagal: Yeah, it'll be about the same place…no kidding she loves to torture me!

            Ani: Yeah, Teen Gohan's fun to tease, but I'm not a really big fan of Videl's, so I don't write her much.  The whole Saiyaman bit's great to make fun of, though!

            *gags at the thought of his present self in the Saiyaman outfit* My teenage version is an idiot…

Knight's Shadow: Hey, Anshin! Another new reviewer!

            Ani: Huhwha? Oh, Hi! Thanks!

DemonDancing: Hey, someone else loves me! *adds DemonDancing to his list of people to be nice to* Anshin, 'nother new reviewer!

            Ani: Aiee! People are poking me! I get enough of that from SSH, LPM, my mom, and my little bro…I hope I'm keeping people in character. It gets kinda hard sometimes, and Chichi's the most difficult person to write.  I'm glad you like it!

Chibi Lauryn: Have fun on vacation! And just how do you know Trunks? *raises one eyebrow*  First Saiyaman, and now he's going out with Videl?! ACK! She's Mr. Satan's daughter, for crying out loud! And anyways, everyone knows I'm the better looking one. *gets beamed upside the head with a pillow* HEY!

            Ani: No modesty whatsoever…but I agree. ^___^  I hope you have fun at…wherevertheheckitis you're going!

SSH: Yo, what's up! *waves* And Ani still wants you to come over.

            Ani: YEEHAA! You're my 50th reviewer! *throws candy at her* Ironic, ne?

Well, on to the fic…augh, more torture…*rolls eyes* And just so you'll know, this is a really short chapter. (Thank Kami-sama…the less she writes, the better for me.)

*****

            He flew close to the ground, the long blades of grass parting underneath him like the Red Sea and his orange gi rippling against his body with the wind.  In a burst of gold light, his eyes lightened to green and his hair spiked into unmoving tufts of gold.  The sun was setting at his back, and the sky was a brilliant shade of red.  His eyes narrowed as he searched the horizon.

            "There you are," a voice to Gohan's right said casually.  Gohan quickly came to a halt and glared at the figure that was standing against a tree with his arms folded.  "Have you come back for round two?"  The figure stepped forward from the shadows, revealing himself to be Jinzouningen Juunanagou.

            "Where's your darling sister?" Gohan asked sarcastically.

            "Now, why would I want to drag her away from her shopping just to play with our dear friend?" Juunanagou retorted, then he rolled his eyes.  "Women.  Go figure," he added with a shrug.

            Both took defensive stances.  The sun sank low and disappeared altogether.

            "Well?  Are you going to attack me or what?"

            Gohan smirked.  "After you."

            "With pleasure."  Juunanagou darted forward with a swing to Gohan's neck.  He ducked, caught the Jinzouningen by the ankle, and slammed him into the ground.  Juunanagou let out a low growl and sprang up.  He faked a kick to the Super Saiyan's knees, then grabbed Gohan's wrist as he blocked the false blow.

            "I'm getting a sudden sense of what you humans call deja vu."

            Gohan snarled, leapt up, and delivered a powerful kick to Juunanagou's chest.  Juunanagou staggered back a step and coughed, but his grip on Gohan's arm didn't loosen.  Instead of letting go, as the demi-Saiyan had predicted, he tightened his hold nearly to the point of breaking Gohan's bones.

            Slightly stunned that his maneuver hadn't worked, Gohan's concentration broke for a half a second—but that was all the time Juunanagou needed.  He jerked back with all his might.

            Gohan screamed as a jolt of sharp pain ran up his arm.  He could feel the bones breaking and his muscles tearing.  Suddenly, it stopped as his nerves were severed and his arm became completely lifeless.

            He slowly became aware of the hot, sticky blood running down his side.  He forced his eyes open, and the scream caught in his throat as he stared in absolute horror at Juunanagou.

            "Whoops, I think I pulled a little too hard…" Juunanagou said tauntingly as a malicious smile spread across his face.  Terror seized Gohan completely, and he hovered in a state of frozen shock.  His still-green eyes widened as the Jinzouningen carelessly tossed the detached arm aside and charged forward for the final, devastating blow.

            "NO!!!" Gohan screamed as he jolted upright in bed.  His chest heaved up and down and his heart pounded in his throat.  Cold sweat poured down his face and the back of his neck.  He slowly lifted his shaking hand and stared at it a moment, then curled it into a fist.

            His breathing and heartbeat gradually began to regulate themselves, but his body still trembled with fear.  Hurried footsteps and panicked breathing echoed up the hall.  "Gohan, are you alright?"  Gohan looked up at the doorway with a blank expression, and Chichi stared back at him with worry masking her features.  He swallowed hard and slowly nodded, then leaned back against the headboard and stared up at the rotating fan blades.

            Chichi crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed.  "Gohan?" she asked softly.  "Sweetheart?  What happened?"

            He hesitated a moment, then said, "Nothing.  Just a dream."

            "Are you sure you're okay?"

            "Yeah."

            Chichi nodded, then stood.  As she started towards the door, he called back to her.  "Mom…wait."  She turned and looked at him.  He lowered his gaze from the ceiling and looked her in the eye.  "It's just…I'm not…Mom, I—"  She sat back down and put her finger over his mouth.

            "I understand."

            "I think I need a hug."

            Chichi smiled and wrapped her slender arms around his large frame, and he rested his head on hers.

            "I'm sorry, Mom.  I love you."

            "It's alright, I understand.  And I love you too—that's why I don't want to see you hurting."

            Gohan swallowed hard.  "I miss Trunks.  It's stupid for a grown man to be so upset about death, especially when you've seen as much of it as I have.  But it's not fair…he was only a kid…"

            "Nothing's ever fair, Gohan.  It's not stupid.  He was your little brother.  I miss him too, just like I miss everyone else that's died."  She ran her hand through his thick black hair.  "Are you okay now?"

            "Yeah, I feel better.  Thanks, Mom."

            Chichi stood, smiled at him, and left the room.  As the door clicked shut, Gohan picked up the folded square of paper and laid it out on the bed.  He leaned back against the headboard, deep in thought and inadvertently rubbing his shoulder.

            "Then I'll have to talk to Bulma," he said to himself.  "When she builds it, I'll have to have her fix it so it can be piloted with only one hand.  Mom's not gonna like this…"

            He refolded the paper and got up to find a shirt.

*****

See? I told you it was a short chapter. I think she only wrote this one 'cause she was in a bad mood, and tends to take out her anger in her stories…mostly on me and Trunks.

Ani: Did I scare you with the dream sequence? That's one of my favorite story elements, so you may see it a lot in some of my other stories.  That, and the shower scene like I wrote in the last chappie…^___^

You hentai.

Ani: I am not a hentai! My friend Eric's a hentai! I just like the mental image of you I get—wet and shirtless. *dreamy look* I think the FUNibakas censor my mental images. *pouts*

*rolls eyes* COULD YOU POSSIBLY TORTURE ME ANY MORE?!?!?

Ani: Is that a rhetorical question? *smirks*  Don't worry, there's no torture in the next chapter, but there is a little humor.  Oh, and the moment everyone's been waiting for! Drum roll, please.

Do your own drum roll.

Ani: Fine, be that way.  Gohan's going to the past!

Don't everyone start cheering at once, now.

Ani: *growls* Well, I gotta go! 

You're typing the next chapter. My hand hurts now.

Ani: Oh, come on. I gave you a short chapter.  Ja ne, minna-san!


	6. Meeting

Oi, okay, okay, already! Everyone's getting impatient with me…you all want Gohan to go to the past, AND you want to see everyone's reaction, AND you want longer chapters! *falls over and twitches* Too…much…can't…take it…@.@

MG: *rolls eyes, kicks her* Get up. It's not that much of a request.

*jumps up and whacks Gohan* You are being absolutely **_no_** help.

MG: *shrugs* I'm reading the reviews, aren't I? *goes back to flipping through reviews*

Yeah. Thanks. *growls* At least you're doing something productive. So anyways, since you all just can't wait for me to get to it, I've decided to combine what was supposed to be chapters 5 and 6 into one chapter. (I know, the thingy's confusing because it says this is chapter 6, but I had a prologue, so it's actually chapter 5.)

MG: You think too deeply into things. And whose idea was it to combine these chapters?

*sigh* Yours…I'm an old-fashioned authoress. I still write stories with a pencil and paper. So here ya go…I'm afraid he only meets Goku in this chapter, but that's still something! *ducks rotten tomatoes and one AFLAC duck*

MG: *whistling innocently with his hand behind his back* Huhwha? You think I threw that duck?

*glares* Yes. You are so terrible at cover-ups it's almost funny. *uses Authoress Powers to dump a truckload of AFLAC duck plushies on Gohan*

MG: AIEEEEE! *muffled* Help! Get these things offa me!

Ducks: AFLAC!!!!

*smirks* You asked for it. Now, on with the reviewer feedback.

Frying Pan of DOOM!: Here ya go!

Chibi Lauryn: Wow, Arizona? I've never been that far west…I've been stuck in the Southeast my whole life.

            MG: *pushes the ducks away from his face* Yeah, she's a southerner, and proud of it.

queenie33: Same here, I always come up with great ideas after someone else has done them, but I got to this first! *does Happy Hamster dance* Thanks!

Kakkabrat: Thanks, and he's going to the past already! 

Contrail: I think Gohan was about to kill me when I wrote that…and so was my friend, SSH…

gado: I'm trying, I really am…

            MG: She just has big handwriting, that's all.

Knight's Shadow: Thanks!

Silver Warrior: Don't worry, this chappie's longer!

Android 71: I know, kawaiiness! I'm glad you like it, thanks! Oi, I need to see _AI_.

            MG: *looks at A71, attatched to his leg* Uh… *sweatdrop* Yeah, I love you too…I'm okay…

Chirs-Redfield26: Another chappie, coming up!

MG: It's okay.  Hey, food! *dives in* Thanks!

            -_-; Like father, like son, ne?

A/N: Chapter 5 begins three years later. Gohan's 26, and the time machine, dubbed HOPE, is complete. He's only had a few minor run-ins with the Jinzouningen, and has a star-shaped scar on the right side of his chest. (I have a thing for guys with scars. So sue me. It explains my fetish with Mirai Gohan, Bardock, and my previous one with Yamcha…) Now, on with the fic! 

*****

            Chichi had been pleading with Gohan all morning, but to no avail.  He was ready to go, and no amount of begging and crying would stop him.  This was something he had to do—to save everything.

            "Mom, don't worry.  I'm not leaving for good," Gohan said.  "It'll only be a few days.  Maybe less."  He was standing with his hand on the doorknob, as it had been for the past ten minutes as he tried to calm his mother.  She shook her head.

            "I know, but Gohan, you're all I've got left."

            "That's why I have to go.  I have to take the vaccine to Dad.  I may not change what's already happened, but at least we'd have a chance in a different timeline."

            Chichi swallowed hard.  She tenderly placed her hand on his shoulder, then flung her arms around him.  "Just be careful, sweetheart."

            Gohan smiled.  "Sure thing.  I promise I won't get into any trouble."  He bent to kiss her on the cheek before walking out the door.  He readjusted the backpack slung over his shoulder, and called for Nimbus.  He mounted the cloud and, with one final glance at his house, took off for West Capitol.

            Chichi stood quietly, staring at the closed door with her hands clasped over her chest.  "Hurry home, Gohan."

            Gohan shivered as the cold wind stung his face and arm.  "I knew I should've brought a jacket, but no…stupid t-shirt…" he muttered to himself.  Nimbus screeched to a very abrupt halt above the domed building, nearly causing Gohan to topple off.  He righted himself and glared at the all-too-innocent-looking cloud.  "Gee, thanks, buddy.  You did that on purpose."  He stood and jumped off of the cloud, landing lightly just in front of the building.  He started to open the door when it beeped at him and a voice crackled over the intercom.  "State your name," the mechanical voice said.

            Gohan raised one eyebrow.  "Good grief, the security system still works?"

            "State your name," it repeated.  He rolled his eyes.

            "Son Gohan."

            The machine bleeped again, and the doors slid open.  He entered, and let his eyes adjust to the unusual dimness as the door closed behind him.  "Hey, Bulma?" he yelled.  No response.  He heaved a deep sigh, shuffled the backpack's weight to prevent it from sliding off his shoulder, and started towards the lab.

            He hit the button on the keypad beside the laboratory door three times before it finally decided to work.  The door rushed open, and his hand flew up to shield his eyes from the sudden brightness.  "That would explain why it's so dark everywhere else—you're holding all the light hostage in here."

            Bulma looked up and laughed.  "Well, hello there."  She stood up, dusted off her coveralls, and ran the back of her hand across her forehead, leaving a streak of grease in its wake.  Gohan grinned, and Bulma gave him a somewhat quizzical look.  "What?"

            "Your face is just a little dirty, that's all."

            "Yes, Gohan, that's what happens when you work on engine parts for five hours."

            He nodded towards the towel in Bulma's hand.  "Isn't that what that's for?"  Said towel promptly flew across the room and smacked Gohan in the face.  "Hey!" he yelled.

            "Aren't you cold?" Bulma asked, quickly changing the subject.  "It's only forty degrees out and you're wearing jeans and a t-shirt."

            Gohan shrugged and sat his bag down. "Actually, it was almost fifty when I left the house."

            "Well, you're making me cold."

            "I don't have a jacket."

            Bulma looked abound the lab a minute, then threw a letterman-style Capsule Corps jacket at him.  "Here."  Gohan grinned and pulled the jacket on.

            "Hey, thanks."  He looked at Bulma, who was staring at him sideways with an odd expression.  "What?" he asked, his brow furrowing.

            "You look exactly like your father."

            "So I've been told."  He crossed the room and placed his hand against the side of the bright yellow machine.  "And you're sure this thing works?"

            Bulma sighed and walked over to him.  She looked up at the glass dome over the cockpit.  "There's no way to test it, so no.  I'm not sure it will work, which is why I should go, not you.  We can't risk your life."

            "We also can't risk our past selves recognizing us.  You haven't changed that much in twenty years; I have."

            "Gohan, you have to remember," she said, looking him square in the eye, "I can't control exactly when or where it lands, so you may arrive before Goku."

            "And…?"

            "A year passed between the time we returned form Namek and the time he did.  A lot can happen in a year…and I'm afraid that if you arrive first, they'll think you're Goku, considering how much you look like him.

            Gohan glanced away, his brow creasing again.  "I hadn't thought about that.  I just figured they wouldn't recognize me as Gohan, but if they thought I was Dad…" He shook his head.  "I'll just have to lay low until he arrives.  Or hope he's already there."

            "You don't have to go."

            "It's still safer if I go.  They'll believe me if I tell them I'm not my father, but you'd be stuck.  We have to keep interference with the timeline to a minimum, and I doubt that even my seven-year-old self will identify a battle-scarred, one-armed, 26-year-old."

            Bulma took a deep breath and nodded, then looked back up at the cockpit.  "So, you want me to show you the controls?"

            "Sure."  Gohan levitated up to the top of the time machine, closely followed by Bulma on the lift platform she had devised.  She hit a button, and the glass dome slowly opened.  Gohan climbed inside and sat down, paying careful attention to each component the scientist pointed out.

            "You use this keypad to program your destination.  Be careful—one wrong number and you could end up thousands of years or millions of miles off-course.  This thing doesn't have life support systems, so if you end up in space…well, let's just hope that doesn't happen."

            Gohan nodded once, and typed in the coordinates.  The computer responded with several beeps, and a map flashed onto the screen.  A blinking red dot indicated his landing point, and the day, month, and year appeared in the upper right-hand corner.  Bulma smiled.

            "You're getting this a lot faster than I expected."

            "Just because I never went to school, it doesn't mean I can't program electronics and machinery.  Anyways, I'm a fast learner."

            "Okay, then this shouldn't take long.  Bulma continued to go over every control and technical aspect of her invention until Gohan could've piloted the thing in his sleep.  After an hour of explanations and directions, he was ready to go. 

            Bulma slipped the small bottle of purple pills into the side pocket of Gohan's backpack and tossed him the bag.  He caught it, flung it over his shoulder, and pulled the yellow capsule from his pocket.  He hit the button and tossed it, and in a puff of smoke, the time machine reappeared on the lawn.  He lifted off the ground and landed in the cockpit.  Bulma called up to him from the ground.

            "Remember, when you take off, you'll experience a few minutes of unconsciousness and then arrive in your chosen destination.  Hypothetically, anyways.  Be careful, Gohan!"

            "Don't worry.  I'll bring it back in one piece," he said with a smile.

            _"You'd _better come back in one piece, or your mother will kill me."

            Gohan laughed, closed the cockpit, and waved to her.  He pulled the lever by his knee back, and the machine rose into the air.  He double-checked the coordinates, smiled with satisfaction at Bulma's work, and hit the small blue button near the keypad.  HOPE's fins rotated faster around the fuselage, and the time-travelling vehicle disappeared from view.

            The blackness slowly faded from Gohan's vision, and he shook his head to rid himself of his dizziness.  A high-pitched beep rang in his left ear, and he turned and glared at the green light.

            "Yeah, I know, 'Destination Reached!'  Go off, already!"  He slammed his fist down on the button and the noise ceased.  "Jeez, as if my hearing isn't damaged enough already…" he muttered, then looked around at his surroundings.  He could sense a group of people to the north, but couldn't yet see them.  He landed the time machine—albeit, not that gracefully—and re-capsulized it, then shoved the little yellow object in his pocket.  He slapped his forehead as he realized that if he could sense their ki, they could probably sense his.  He worked to suppress his energy as much as possible, and walked towards the large crater that had formed only moments before a few hundred yards away.

            A disc-shaped ship sat at the base of the crater.  Gohan hid himself behind the rocks and looked out across the span.  Directly across from him, the small group landed and hid amongst the rocks as well.  Considering he could no longer sense them, he knew they must have suppressed their ki as well.

            The ship's door opened, and about a dozen armored men, all of various species, exited.  Gohan's heart pounded; he knew what was coming, but the others didn't.

            "Damn!  What am I supposed to do?  God, I wish Dad would hurry up!"

            No sooner were his words spoken than a new ki appeared a short distance in front of him.  He gasped—it was Goku.

            He accidentally let out a soft chuckle at the sight of his father in such a ridiculous outfit.  Goku's ear twitched at this sound, and he looked over his shoulder in Gohan's direction.  Gohan clamped his hand over his mouth and ducked lower behind the rock.

            Goku glared at the ship as two more figures exited.  Both beings looked up at him, a completely unconcerned look on their faces.

            "FRIEZA!!!!"   Goku yelled as his hair spiked upward.  He charged forward, his hands drawn back at his side.  He let loose a massive ball of gold energy, taking out all of Frieza's minions.

            He skidded to a halt three feet from the tyrant.  "Don't you think you've caused enough pain and suffering?  What use was there in coming here?"

            Frieza laughed.  "Why, to find you, of course.  But it seems you found me first.  Oh well."

            Goku growled and powered up again in an explosion of golden light.  He glared at Frieza with a look of cold hatred.  "I realize now that you can never change.  I was always taught that there was some good in everyone, but I was wrong."

            King Cold laughed to himself.  "For a little monkey in a funny outfit, you sure can talk big.  Do you have any more tricks up your sleeve?  That was quite the light show."

            Goku smirked.  "Yeah, here's one—"  He put his hand against the unsuspecting king's chest and fired.  King Cold slumped back against the side of the ship and fell forward, dead before he hit the ground.  Goku looked at Frieza, who was staring at his father in shock.  "Sorry, Frieza, but your old man shouldn't've underestimated the 'monkey'."

            Frieza whirled on the Super Saiyan.  "You!"

            "Yeah?  What about me?"

            "You're just a monkey!  I killed the rest of your people, including your father!  He was the idiot that tried to stand up to me!  He brought the destruction of the Saiyans!"

            Goku raised one eyebrow.  "Oh?  Then let me be the one to right his wrongs by ridding the universe of you."

            Gohan smirked.  He had forgotten how his father could be while in battle.  "Yeah, Dad, take him out," he said to himself.  He knew the fight wouldn't last much longer—in his timeline, it had only taken Goku a few minutes to dispose of the monster. 

            Goku calmly drew his hands back to his side and formed a blue-white orb of energy.

            "What are you doing?  I can see how you're going to attack.  I could just block it."

            "Do you, though?"  He dropped and spun, kicking Frieza's feet out from under him.  Frieza hit the ground, and was immediately caught in the face with a massive Kamehameha.  He screamed, then was silenced forever.

            The Saiyan's hair fell into it's normal position and faded to black.  He looked up at the cliff where Gohan was watching, but made no move.  The other Z-Senshi spilled over the opposite ridge, cheering and waving.  Goku turned and grinned.  "Hey, guys!"

            The seven-year-old Gohan dashed forward and wrapped his arms around his father's neck.  "Daddy!  You're home!"

            "Ugh, Kakarot, what are you wearing?"

            Goku looked up at his old rival.  "Oh, hi, Vegeta.  The people on Yardrat gave this to me.  They were kind of strange, but real nice."

            Vegeta snorted.

            The sound of rocks tumbling into the crater caught everyone's attention, and they all looked up at the source of the noise.

            Gohan slid carefully down the crater wall, catching his balance as he neared the bottom.  He was reluctant to fly, for fear of the Z-Senshi identifying his ki signature.  His heart caught in his throat a half a second as he looked at all of them; it had been a long sixteen years since they all had been murdered in his timeline.

            "Son Goku!" he called.  It felt awkward calling his father by name, but calling him 'Dad' would have defeated the purpose of his previous caution.

            Goku stared at him a moment, curious as to how this stranger knew his name.  The young Gohan looked on in curiosity as well—the man that had just called to his father seemed eerily familiar.

            "Son Goku," he said again, approaching the group, "may I speak you?"  He looked at his younger self, then at Piccolo, and in a hushed voice, added, "In private, if possible?"

            Goku hesitated a moment, then nodded and followed Gohan a good thirty yards away.  Gohan turned and looked into his father's eyes.  Goku stared back with the same intensity, and said, "Who are you?  How did you know my name?"

            Something caught inside of Gohan.  He expected this—his father not recognizing him—but for some reason, it still hurt.  "I'm sorry, but I can't tell you.  You're probably not going to believe me, but I'm from twenty years in the future."

            "The future?" 

            "Yes.  A friend of mine—a scientist—built a time machine.  Not for amusement, for necessity.  You see, in my timeline, there are two beings wreaking havoc on the Earth.  The world's population is down to a dwindling twenty percent of what it was before they arrived, and almost everything has been destroyed."

            "Who are they?  Aliens?"

            "No, Jinzouningen.  The inventions of Dr. Gero, the genius behind the Red Ribbon Army.  I know it's in your character to give people second chances, but I wish you'd killed him when you had the chance.  They've been terrorizing my world for over sixteen years, and there's no one left to fight them."

            Goku looked over his shoulder at the other Z-Senshi, then back at Gohan.  "What about them?  Me?  What do you mean, 'there's no one left to fight them'?"

            Gohan shook his head.  "They were all killed.  Krillin, Tien, Yamcha, Chaozu, even Piccolo and Vegeta…the Jinzouningen killed all of them."

            "And me…?  Did I die fighting, too?"

            Gohan looked away.  "No.  You died of a heart virus six months before the Jinzouningen attacked.  I was only ten…"Gohan caught himself and looked back up at Goku.  "There's no cure now, but in my time, there is."  He sat his backpack down and pulled out the vaccine.  He handed it to Goku.  "In three years, you'll contract the virus.  If you take this when you get it, you should be okay.  Da—er, Goku, you're the only hope.  If you don't beat the Jinzouningen, they'll all die."

            Goku looked at the bottle, then back at the Z-Senshi.  "What about Gohan?  You didn't say that he was killed."  He looked Gohan in the eye, and Gohan flinched slightly.  He hadn't been expecting that.

            "I…he…no, he didn't die."

            Goku smiled.  "Of course he didn't.  Otherwise, I'd be talking to a dead man right now, and you don't have a halo."

            Gohan facefaulted.  His mouth moved, but there were no words coming out.  He just stared at Goku a minute, then managed to find his voice.  "How…did…but…" he stuttered.  Goku laughed.

            "Don't look so surprised, Gohan.  You're my son.  Did you actually think I wouldn't recognize you?"

            "I…I don't know…Dad, don't tell them."

            "I won't.  Gohan, do you know when the Jinzouningen will attack?"

            "Huh?  Oh, yeah.  Three years, at ten a.m. on May 12th.  They will be released on an island nine miles southwest of South City.  I'll never forget that day…" He clenched his fist and looked over Goku's shoulder at Piccolo.  He shook his head.  "I can't let that happen again.  Dad, if I'm still alive in three years, I'll come back and help you fight.  Or maybe I'll just recharge the time machine and only travel back seventeen years next time."

            Goku smiled and nodded, then looked down at Gohan's sleeve.  "Son, if you don't mind my asking, what happened to your arm?"

            "Three years ago.  I…sort of ran out of senzu beans…" He glanced down at the limp sleeve as well.  "I hope I did the right thing.  For all the good it did…he died a month later…"

            "Who?"

            Gohan looked up.  "What?"  He hadn't really been paying attention to what he was saying.

            "You just said, 'he died a month later.'  Who?"

            "Dammit," Gohan muttered, slapping his forehead.

            "Gohan," Goku said in an almost scolding manner.

            "Sorry.  I can't tell you; if I did, he might not be born.  You understand."

            Goku nodded, looked at the bottle in his hand, and smiled at Gohan.  "Try to stay alive, son."

            Gohan smiled back.  "I will."  He picked up his backpack and flung it over his shoulder, then pulled the yellow capsule out of his pocket.  "I'll see you in three years, Dad."

            He tossed the capsule and boarded the freshly materialized time machine.  HOPE lifted into the air, and disappeared.  Goku let out a long sigh and turned to tell the other Z-Senshi of the future they now had to prevent from becoming reality.

*****

Okay, that was a fairly long chapter, and Gohan met Goku.  YA HAPPY?!?!?

MG: Chill out.  They're gonna think you're mad at them.

…nana…hachi…ku…ju…Okay, I'm better now.  Except my wrist hurts.  Aiee, school starts back Monday, so updates may not be coming in as frequent.  But Gohan will end up meeting everyone else.  *rubs palms together and grins menacingly* If you think I make Juunanagou sound mean, just wait.  By the end of this fic, you'll probably hate Vegeta, too.

MG: It's not like he ever liked me much in the first place, so it can't be that bad.

*innocent smile* I love you, Gohan-sama.

MG: *gulp* Android 71! Sunshine! Someone, help me!!! 


	7. Shock

Ohayo, minna! Sorry I didn't update yesterday, but school's back in. *gags*  That, and I'm trying to keep my web page updated as well, and one of my friends *cough* SSH *cough* is getting on to me because I haven't updated 'The Untold Future' or 'Bloodlines'in forever…I'm gonna keep my little rant short, because I've got a truckload of reviewer feedback to do.

MG: *going through reviews* Man, Ani, your story's getting popular! You're actually making a name for yourself on FF.N!

But with popularity comes responsibility, so I'm trying reeeeeally hard to keep this fic updated!  Well, onto the feedback.

Kakkabrat: I think your caps lock was stuck…I agree. School is BEYOND a pain. Well, have fun in Ohio, whenever you're going!

Knight's Shadow: Thankies!

cory: Will do!

Chris-Redfield26: *laughs at Gohan's predicament*

            MG: *on the floor under Chris* It's not funny. And I'm still hungry! Look, she's making another chappie, so can you pleeeease GET OFF?! *jumps up, sending Chris tumbling* Gomen…

Contrail: No, I don't want him insane.  I'll save that for another story. ^____^ 

            MG: *inches away* Uh…huh…

Android 71: MG: AIEEEE!  Huhwha? Piccolo-san? Where?

            Hey, get back here! *growls and flies up to retrieve Gohan*

            MG: Hey, I can fly! I don't need your help getting down! *flies down and hugs A71* Thanks…

DarkPower: Yeah, it is kind of crap, but it's fun crap!

Sailor Vegeta: Coming up!

Jadesaber: Yeah, I needed a little humor. Be forewarned—there is a LOT of facefaulting in this chappie…^^;;;

sakura117us: NO! You can't have him! *cuddles Gohan possessively*

            MG: Uh…*sweatdrop*

Chibi Lauryn: I think that was the chapter everyone was waiting for, which is why I had to hurry up and get it out before everyone came after me…

Silver Warrior: Yeah, a lot of people tend to make Goku too naïve, so I try my hardest to keep him honestly in character.

Crash: Actually, I just really despise Frieza.  Bad spelling and grammar bug the crap outta me, so I try to make sure everything's correct.  Thanks!

Nisaa_sd: Gomen, but I can't do anything about it! You don't know how much I had to bribe Baba to get him back at all, considering my baka friend used up our three wishes and it was gonna take a while before the dragonballs would regenerate.

            MG: Yeah, I want my arm back, too…but I'm alive again, so it's all cool. See, no halo! *flashes Son Grin*

Angel wings: You know Piccolo. Not much fazes him.

notgoingtotellyou: Lessee…that was four smileys in one review? I know, it took me long enough…

SSH: They're coming to take us away, haha, they're coming to take us away!

            MG: You just had to give her candy, didn't you?

Well, that's all the feedback, so onto the story!

MG: Aren't you forgetting something?

Nope! I just don't feel like typing a disclaimer. 

MG: -_-; You are sooo lazy…

A/N: Chapter six starts yet **another **three years later…at least, according to the present timeline.  Only a couple of months have passed in the Mirai timeline because Gohan decided to wait for the time machine to recharge and only travel back 17 years this time.

Yeah, yeah, I know, he's opening another timeline.  But if he waited 3 years, he would be 29, which is too old.  So he's still only 26.  Does anyone have a problem with that?  No?  Good.  Back to the fic.

*****

            "Gohan, you just got back.  Are you really going to leave so soon?"  Bulma asked, following Gohan down the stairs to the lab.  "You do realize how dangerous this is—I mean, two timelines is acceptable, but you're opening another!"

            "I know.  But I'm afraid that I won't last another three years, and I promised Dad I'd help them fight."

            "You WHAT?!" Bulma yelled, stopping in mid-step.  "Weren't you the one that said we had to interfere as little as possible?  Gohan!"  Gohan hit the keypad by the lab door, and the doors glided open.  "Gohan—"  She ran after him as he disappeared beyond the doorframe.

            She entered the lab just as he de-capsulized HOPE.  He lifted about two feet in the air before Bulma caught up to him.  She reached out in a near-failed attempt to grab him, barely catching him by the sleeve.  The jacket slid off his shoulder, and he looked at her.

            "Bulma, I'm going.  Let go."

            "Gohan…it's not that I don't want you to go, but I don't think you realize how hazardous it would be to open another timeline.  And anyways, helping them would be interfering in a BIG way."  She let go of his sleeve, and he pulled the jacket back up over his shoulder.  He opened the cockpit, tossed his bag in, and lowered himself into the pilot's seat.

            "I'm sorry.  I know what I said, but something about seeing them all there, still alive…I can't just stand by and watch while they all die again when I have the chance to prevent it."

            "You gave Goku the vaccine; isn't that enough?  You can't even beat them in this timeline, Gohan!  What makes you think you can beat them in that one?"

            He clenched his fist.  "Don't remind me.  Take care of yourself—with any luck, I won't be gone long."  With that, he closed the top and switched it on.  Within minutes, he was gone again.

            "Gohan…why save a timeline you know is safe when there's one right here that needs a savior?" Bulma said to no one.

            Gohan quickly shook off the now-familiar feeling of dizziness as he leapt to the ground from the cockpit and returned the time machine to its portable state.  He looked around, unsure of where he was.  Then he smiled.

            "Flying Nimbus, come to me!" he called.  The little yellow cloud drifted out of the sky and circled Gohan curiously, then stopped just in front of him.  He jumped up on the cloud and said, "Hey, thanks, buddy.  You know where home is?"  His grin broadened as Nimbus jerked forward, then sailed smoothly towards the eastern horizon.

            Goku was in the kitchen, helping his wife clean the table from breakfast.  He suddenly whirled around and stared out the window, barely regaining his composure in time to catch the plates he had just dropped.  He sat the plates on the counter and walked over to the window, looking intently at the sky.

            "What is it, Goku?" Chichi asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

            "Someone's coming.  The odd thing is, it feels like Gohan, only…not."

            There came a knock at the door, and a black, white, and green blur sailed down the stairs and through the kitchen, yelling, "I got it!"

            The nine-year-old flung the door open and froze.  He didn't know it, but the man in front of him was his future self.  Both of them were slightly startled.

            "I…uh…hi.  Is your dad here?" Gohan asked unsteadily.  He had not been expecting this at all, and was unsure of what to say.  His younger self merely nodded and quietly said, "Come in."

(A/N: I'm gonna start calling present Gohan 'Chibi', okay?)

            Chibi went in the kitchen and tugged on his dad's shirttail.  "Hey, Dad, someone's here.  I think it's that man you talked to a few years ago, the one you said was from the future?"  Goku looked at Chibi, then went in the living room.

            "Oh, hey, it is you," he said, causing Gohan to jump slightly.  He was a little spaced out, and was beginning to regret coming here.

            "Yeah.  I promised I'd help."

            "Well, you're a little early.  It's only April."  Goku looked at Gohan sideways.  "You haven't aged any."

            "Yeah.  It's been three years in this timeline, but only four months in mine.  I didn't want to risk getting killed before I could help you guys."  He let out a long sigh and looked at Chibi, who was staring back up at him questioningly.  Goku looked down at Chibi as well.

            "Who are you?  Dad never told us your name," the boy asked.  Gohan and Goku looked at each other, hesitant to explain.

            "Let's go up to the lookout, okay?"  Goku said, quickly changing the subject.

            "Okay.  I—"  Chibi was cut off by Chichi, who was now standing in the doorway, tapping her foot.  All three Sons facefaulted, knowing what was coming next.

            "Oh, no you don't.  You two can't just fly off to train when there's a guest in the house.  And besides, Gohan, you promised you'd study."

            In unintended unison, both Gohans replied, "But Mom, I have training to do!"

            Everyone froze.

            Chichi and Chibi stared at Gohan quizzically.  Goku facefaulted again, realizing the perils of the situation they were now in.  Gohan clamped his hand over his mouth, mentally kicking himself for not controlling the reaction.

            Chibi slowly walked up to Gohan, and their eyes locked.  "Now I know why you looked so familiar," he said in a voice barely above a whisper.  "You're me."

            "Goku, what's going on?" Chichi asked, almost frantically.

            Gohan took a deep breath and nodded.  "Yeah.  I'm you.  I didn't tell you because I didn't want to scare you."  He looked at Chichi.  "Mom, I know it's hard for you to believe it, but I am Gohan."  He braced himself, knowing what his mother was about to do.  She stared at him, looking carefully over every inch of his body.  Her eyes rested a moment on the shoulder that no longer attached to a limb, then climbed to his scarred face.  She choked out a small sob and flew across the room, her arms outstretched.

            "Oh my God, Gohan…my baby…" She embraced him, and he ran his hand gently up and down her back.

            "It's okay, Mom."  He glanced up at Goku, who nodded at him.  Then he looked down at his younger self.  Chibi's expression was composed of shock, confusion, and a little fear, and Gohan's brow furrowed.  "Mom," he said, patting her on the back, "It's alright."  She let go and looked up at him.  She hesitantly reached up and ran her fingers over his scar, then wiped the tears from her own eyes.

            He gave her a soft smile, and met her eyes with his gentle gaze.  "Please, Mom?  May we go train?  It's for his good," he said, nodding at Chibi.  "I don't want him ending up like me."

            Chichi nodded.  "Just be careful."

            The three Sons flashed their trademark grin and went out the door.  They lifted into the air, waved at her, and took off towards Korin's Tower.

            Chibi had been staring at Gohan's unoccupied sleeve as it danced freely in the wind for almost the entire flight, trying to find the words to say something.  Finally, he found his voice.  "Does it hurt?" he asked quietly.

            "Huh?  Does what—" Gohan asked, looking at Chibi questioningly.  He followed Chibi's gaze and said, "Oh.  That.  No, actually, I hardly even notice it."

            "Isn't it ever frustrating?"

            "Yeah.  I mean, it's been three years, so I'm pretty much used to it, but there's still stuff that's hard or impossible to do now.  It's the worst feeling in the world…look, there's the tower," he said, nodding towards the horizon.  A thin vertical line stretched from the ground to above the clouds directly ahead of them.  They all increased their speed and shot towards the tower.

            The majestic stone structure rushed up to meet them, and they all made a sharp 90-degree turn upward to race parallel to it up to the lookout.  The temperature dropped quickly as they rose above the clouds, and the wind stung their faces.  Gohan smiled.  In his timeline, it had been five years since the tower had fallen prey to the Jinzouningen's reign of destruction.

            "Hey," Goku yelled, "You guys head on up.  I'm gonna stop by Korin's and grab some more senzus."

            Gohan and Chibi nodded, and Goku ducked onto the small platform at the top of the tower.

            Gohan suddenly laughed, and Chibi looked at him, confused.  "What?" he asked, the contagious smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.  Gohan shook his head.

            "Nothing…I'll tell you later.  Hey, d'you sense that?"

            "Yeah!  It's Piccolo-san!"

            They looked at each other, grinned, and pushed their speed to the max all the way to the top of the lookout.

            The duo landed lightly, and were immediately greeted by their old sensei.

            "That's strange," Piccolo said, "I sense two identical ki signatures from the two of you."

            "That's because he's me," Chibi said, pointing at Gohan.  Piccolo smiled, nodding.

            "I know."  He looked at Gohan.  "I heard everything you said when you first arrived three years ago."

            Gohan semi-facefaulted.  "You did?" 

            "Yeah.  My hearing's a lot more sensitive than yours, kid."

            Gohan mouthed an 'oh', then looked around.  "Hey, where's Kami-sama?"

            "Right here," Piccolo said.  Gohan stared at him, confused.  "We merged.  With your warning of the Jinzouningen, I figured would need all the strength we could get."

            Before Gohan could say anything, Goku touched down just behind him.  Goku glanced over the edge of the lookout, jerked his thumb over his shoulder, and said, "Company."  The word was hardly out of his mouth before Yamcha and Krillin landed as well, shortly followed by Tien and Chaozu.

            "Hiya, Goku!" said Krillin.

            "We sensed the three of you up here and figured we'd better see what the occasion was," Yamcha added.  "Er…four of you…who's this?"  He smiled at Gohan and was about to introduce himself, but was cut off by a low growl to the group's left.

            "Kakarot, why must you always disappear when I need a sparring partner?"

            "Sorry, Vegeta.  I was coming up here to train with Gohan, but we could spar a little."

            Vegeta snorted and looked down his nose at the boy.  "If you were hoping for a decent workout training with the half-breed, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed.  I would think you could've done better than that.  At least I'm a Super Saiyan."  

            "You're a Super Saiyan, Vegeta?  Since when?" Gohan asked, not really thinking before speaking.  

Vegeta glared at him and said, "And just who do you think you are?"

"I…uh…"

Vegeta smirked and looked at Goku.  "Do I even want to know what possessed you to bring a crippled human up here?  Or were you planning on pushing yourself even further by training with him, too?"

Gohan narrowed his eyes at Vegeta and put his hand over Chibi's mouth before his younger self got him in trouble.  Unfortunately, he was too late to stop his father.

            "Watch what you say about my son," Goku said.  Vegeta raised one eyebrow.

            "Your son?  Oh, I see.  He's the brat from the future.  I can see why he needed our help to defeat these Jinzouningen he's got you all so worried about."

            "Just shut up, Vegeta.  I don't need your help or anyone else's.  For your information, I only came here to give you guys another chance…but if you want to die in about a month here, be my guest.  I get the feeling you won't be missed."

            Yamcha, Krillin, Tien, and Chaozu were now staring at Gohan, caught somewhere between shock and confusion.

            "Y-you're…Gohan?" Krillin stuttered, looking back and forth between Chibi and Gohan.  Gohan rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably.

            "Yeah."

            "But…you're…and…ack!  Please don't tell me the Jinzouningen did that—I mean, they're not that powerful…are they?"

            "Yeah, they're that powerful."

            Krillin and Yamcha facefaulted again.  Vegeta snorted.  "Surely you're a Super Saiyan by now," he said.  Gohan nodded.

            "But you weren't when they—" Yamcha started, but Gohan cut him off.

            "Yes, Yamcha, I was a Super Saiyan, but they were still too powerful.  They're beyond anything you could imagine…and because they don't have a life force, you can't sense them and they never run out of energy."

            Now it was Goku's turn to facefault.  "You didn't tell me that!  How are we supposed to beat these guys if they have and infinite energy source?"

            "If I knew, I would tell you."

            Piccolo cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention.  "If everyone would pick their jaws up off the floor, we should start training again.  We only have a month left."

            "You go ahead and train all you want.  I, however, am powerful enough to take them on myself.  In the brat's timeline, I probably wasn't a Super Saiyan.  Now that I am…"  He smirked.  "Well, let's just say you all will be lucky if you even get the chance to fight."

            "Vegeta, I don't care how powerful you think you are, it's not enough!"  Gohan's patience with the prince was growing thin.

            "He's right, you know," Piccolo said, placing a hand on Gohan's shoulder.  "Gohan's always had the potential to be more powerful than all of us.  If he's managed to tap into his hidden power and he still can't beat these Jinzouningen, we need to keep training or we won't stand a chance."  He looked around at the group, then over his shoulder at the large, heavy doors that barricaded the central area of the lookout.  "Kami tells me that there's a chamber up here called the Room of Spirit and Time.  One day in the outside world is equivalent to one year in there.  The only catch is, you can only go in twice or you'll be sealed in that dimension forever."

            "So we really shouldn't use it unless it's absolutely necessary," Goku said.  "Alright then, we'll just train out here.  After all, we've got a month."

            Yamcha, Krillin, Tien, and Chaozu hovered a few inches off the floor.  "Well, we'll be at Master Roshi's if anyone needs us.  What was that date again?  May 12th?"  Said Yamcha. Goku nodded.  "Alright then, we'll see you guys back here then!"  They waved good-bye and dove off the lookout towards Kame House.

            Chibi tugged on Goku's shirttail.  "Hey, Dad?  Can we stay up here a while?  I want to train with Piccolo-san."

            "Sure, if it's alright with him."

            Piccolo smiled and ruffled Chibi's hair.  "That's fine, kid."

            Chibi smiled back, then looked up at Goku.  "You too, Dad."

            Goku shrugged.  "Okay.  Hey, Vegeta," he said, looking over at the prince.  "Do you want to join us?  You said you needed a sparring partner."

            "Hn.  I've got better things to do with my time than play with a bunch of weaklings like you."

            "Suit yourself."  Goku, Piccolo, and Chibi started towards the back of the lookout, then paused and looked at Gohan.  "You coming?" Goku asked.

            "In a minute."

            Goku nodded, and the trio disappeared around the corner.  Gohan calmly walked over to Vegeta and caught him by the wrist as he lifted into the air.  Vegeta glared at him.  "What do you want, brat?" he snapped, jerking his hand away and touching back down.

            Gohan looked down at him and said, "Have you even been to see your son yet?"

            "Why should I?  That woman can take care of the brat herself."

            "Because he's your son.  What more reason do you need?  Vegeta, in my timeline, Trunks never knew you.  He was constantly asking me and Bulma what you were like.  What was I supposed to tell him?  That you were an arrogant, self-centered jerk that didn't care about anyone else?  Did you ever even have any feelings for Bulma?"

            "What does it matter to you?"

            "She loves you.  It doesn't matter to me what you say to her or what you do about her, but it does matter about Trunks.  I don't want him growing up without a father, even if you do survive the Jinzouningen."  Gohan narrowed his eyes.  "Because that's what's going to happen.  Go back to Capsule Corps, hold him for just a minute, treat him like your son."

            Vegeta snorted.  "Are you done yet?  That was quite the speech.  Maybe I'll go have a little father-son bonding…" He laughed to himself.  "Or maybe I'll just go back to training, and continue not giving a damn about that woman and her brat.  Actually, that last plan sounds like a much better idea."  He smirked and flew off the lookout, Gohan glaring after him.

            "You know," he said to Vegeta, but not so loud that the prince could hear him, "I'm glad Trunks never knew you.  It's much better for him that he never found out what a bastard you really are."  He contemplated throwing a small blast at Vegeta, but decided against it for the time being.  He turned and walked off to find Goku, Chibi, and Piccolo, pacing himself and carefully controlling his temper.  

*****

MG: *growls, then stomps off to find Vegeta*

Have fun!  Just don't hurt him too bad…

MG: *comes back in* If I can't hurt him, there's really no point in tracking him down.  *plops down on the couch*

SSH, I know what Veggie's thinking, so tell him to shut up.  Well, considering the way school's compromising my time, I may not get to update again until this weekend.  That, and I'm sort of winging it now…I don't have chapter 7 written yet.

MG: Then get writing.

*throws a pencil at him* It's not like you care, anyways…well, ja ne, minna! Mom's gonna beat me with a wet noodle if I don't go to bed. ^^;;;


	8. Laughter

Wow, no one's gonna kill me anymore. They're all gonna kill Veggie instead…but then I'll have the mighty King of the Vegetables on my tail. -_-; Oh well.

MG: Not like he could do much to you; after all, you are an authoress. And even if he does manage to hurt you, may the Kais have mercy on his soul because he'll never hear the end of it from me.

Nani? You actually care for me that much?

MG: *turns red* I…uh…well…you're my friend, that's all.

Uh-huh.  Oi, let's get on to the reviewer feedback.  Good grief, Gohan-san, you look like Trunks when you blush.

MG: *glares* 

Sunshine: Thanks! Yeah, I thought about making that little…disagreement more intense, but I changed my mind.  Unpredictable, eh? Oh, you just wait. ^__^

            MG: You should have let me blast him!  Just for the heck of it!

sakura117us: No, sorry, it's not true.  AIEEE! *gets pinned to the wall by Gohan*

            MG: Not that I really need it…but you're an authoress!

            *choking, trying to get MG's hand off her throat* I'm—not—omnipotent! Let go! 

            MG: *lets go* Gomen nasai, Ani-kun! *rubs the back of his head*

manda: Thanks!

Knight's Shadow: Thanks! Will do!

Goten's Guardian Angel: I agree…but if you think he's bad now, just wait. Mwahaha!

            MG: *pleading* Anshin! Hey, you're writing a fic about me? Cool! *hugs her*

            And I didn't let Gohan kill Veggie because I need him later in the fic.  That, and I kinda felt sorry for him after Buu beat the tar out of him on DBZ the other day…

stayblue: Thankies!

DemonDancing: A little TLC. Uh-huh. I would show him compassion if I though he would show any to me.

            MG: NANI?!?!?! You like that arrogant little midget?! 

            Hey, Gohan?

            MG: Yes?

            SHUT UP. I happen to like Vegeta…just not as much as I like you or Trunks.  That, and I'm watching DBZ right now, and he's getting the living shiznik knocked out of him…yee, that had to hurt.

Nisaa_sd: Your caps lock was stuck.  

            MG: You know something? I could probably kick Vegeta's butt with my hand tied behind my back.

            Don't worry; you'll get him back. ^___^

Android 71: Well, that was smart. Is your foot okay?

            MG: -_-; Oi…*hugs her back and gives her a senzu bean*

Chris_Redfield26: *snickers* Thanks! *starts poking MG as well*

            MG:* with the bowl on his head and noodles in his hair* Hey— *poke* cut— *poke* that— *poke* out! *poke*

             But it's so much FUN! *pokes him again, then hugs Chris* Thanks for the idea!

            MG: *glares while being poked from both sides* Well, I feel loved…

shadowpheonix: I have good insight? Wow. Thanks! 

Chibi Lauryn: Yeah, Veggie-chan's a meanie head.

            MG: *whacks her*

            ITAI!!! What was tha—oh, I called him 'Veggie-chan' again, didn't I? *slaps forehead*

Saiya-jin Chick13: Will do!

DarkPower: ^__^ It'll happen, but I can't guarantee Vegeta will shut up.

Frying Pan of DOOM: Everyone wants to see Gohan kick some butt! I can do that…^__^

Darkone 500: Yeah, I don't know what I'm gonna do about Cell yet. 

Silver Warrior: Thanks! See, she is out of the bag!

            Jasmine (Ani's cat): Meow?

Sailor Vegeta: *grins* Something like that was bound to happen, and I just figured, 'Why not?' Oh, don't hurt Veggie that bad…

Kakkabrat: Funny how we're on the same wavelength. I already had that planned. ^___^

SSH: How ironic is that? You're my 100th reviewer, too! *throws her more candy* And if Henna does anything to it…

            MG: Not more candy!!! *rolls eyes*

Dang, that's a lot of reviewers. O__O Well, anyhoo, on to the story!!!

*****

            Gohan rounded the corner and ducked to avoid being hit in the face with a wild ki blast.  He looked over at the trio, a slight smirk hiding at the corner of his mouth.  "Alright, who was that?"

            Goku and Chibi pointed at each other, and Piccolo rolled his eyes.  Gohan laughed.  "It was your younger self," Piccolo said flatly, receiving a glare from Chibi.

            "Oh, I just realized something!" Goku said suddenly, rubbing the back of his neck.  "What are we supposed to call you two?  I mean, you're both Gohan, so we've gotta have some way of distinguishing which one of you we're talking to."

            Chibi and Gohan just looked at each other a moment, then Chibi said, "You can just call him Gohan, since he's older."

            "And call him Chibi, since that's just what he is," Gohan added.  Chibi shot him a playful glare, and Gohan shrugged.  "What?  You are."  He ruffled Chibi's hair, and Chibi took that opportunity to latch on to Gohan's arm.  "Hey, now, that's not fair!"

            "I never said I play fair.  Are you gonna train with us?"

            Gohan raised his arm a little, lifting a slightly startled Chibi a few inches off the ground.  "Are you gonna let go?"  Chibi nodded and loosened his grip, but continued hovering in mid-air.  Goku laughed and Piccolo smiled.  Gohan just shook his head, his grin broadening.  "Just let me get my jacket off, then we can train." 

            Chibi watched with an expression just shy of pity as Gohan pulled the elastic wristband of his jacket sleeve over his hand with his teeth and caught the jacket by the collar as it slid off his arm.  He tossed it onto the small table against the wall and turned back to the trio.

            "Much better," he said.  "It wasn't this hot back home.  Okay now…hey, Chibi?  I haven't trained with anyone in a while.  Would you mind being my sparring partner until I get used to sparring again?"

            "Sure.  Just don't go Super, 'cause I can't do that yet."

            Gohan smiled, nodded, and proceeded to do a series of warm-up stretches.  Chibi followed his lead, then took an offensive stance.  "Oh, so you want to start this little game?  That's fine with me," Gohan said, assuming his defensive position.

            Goku and Piccolo stood against the wall, watching with great amusement.  "Don't go too easy on him, Gohan!" Goku said.  Gohan smirked.

            "Ready?" said Chibi.  Gohan nodded once, and his muscles tensed in preparation for his counterpart's assault.

            Chibi launched himself at Gohan with a flying kick.  Gohan ducked, and Chibi rebounded off the wall and flew back at him in a fury of punches.  Gohan easily blocked the boy's attack, backing up slowly as Chibi drove forward.  Chibi suddenly raised his hands, overlapping them above his head, and unleashed a rather large but nonlethal blast.  Gohan flipped over Chibi's head, and the blast flew off the lookout and disappeared into the clouds.

            "Hey, watch it with the ki waves.  You might accidentally hurt someone," Gohan said.

            "Well, I didn't expect you to dodge it."

            "What did you want me to do?  Let it hit me in the face?"

            "No, I kinda expected you to block."

            "If your opponent always did what you assumed they were going to do, fighting would be easy."

            Chibi nodded and powered up.  A white aura surrounded his small form, and he dove at Gohan again, hugging the ground to avoid Gohan's kick.  He righted himself behind Gohan and began pummeling the older man's back with his fists.  Gohan spun and knocked Chibi away with the side of his arm.  Chibi faceplowed, growled, and sprang up.  He threw his fist into Gohan's stomach, catching him off guard, then caught him hard in the left shoulder with a powerful roundhouse kick.

            Gohan winced as his hand flew up to his shoulder, and he stumbled back a step.

            "Oh man, I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to—" Chibi said, landing lightly.  Gohan shook his head.

            "Nah, it's alright."

            "Are you okay?  I'm really sorry…"

            "Yeah.  That was good."

            Chibi looked at him, confused.  "It was?"

            "Yeah.  You broke my defenses and went for my weak point, whether you meant to or not.  That's what you need to do in battle."  He rotated his shoulder back, popped his neck, and crouched back into his defense position.  "Come on.  Let's keep going."

            Chibi stared at him a minute, then smiled and said, "Right!"  He charged at Gohan, who ducked and caught Chibi by the hair.  Chibi yelped, spun, and started throwing punches at Gohan.  Gohan simply laughed and tightened his grip on his younger self's thick, long hair as his small fists pounded against Gohan's pectoral muscles and ribcage.

            "Let!  Me!  Go!" Chibi yelled, punctuating each word with another blow.  Goku laughed in the background, and Chibi glared at him.  "Dad!" he pleaded.  Goku folded his arms and shook his head.

            "Now, son, you're gonna have to learn to take care of yourself.  Although it may not be a bad idea to cut that mop of yours…"

            Chibi growled, then fired a small blast as Gohan's stomach.  Gohan immediately let go, then looked down at his barely scathed stomach.  His shirt hadn't even been torn.  He looked up at Chibi, narrowed his eyes, and smiled in an odd, almost creepy sort of way.  "Oh, is that how you want to play?" he said.  Chibi gulped and took a step back as Gohan started towards him.

            "I…uh…wh-what are you doing?" Chibi stuttered, his eyes widening.  Gohan's expression was completely placid, and he slowly shook his head.

            "Nothing, little brother."  With that, he launched himself at Chibi.  The pair rolled, and Gohan pinned Chibi to the ground and began tickling him relentlessly.  Chibi screamed, then began laughing uncontrollably and beating on Gohan's arm feebly.

            Goku started laughing as well, and Piccolo simply rolled his eyes.  "I thought we were here to train, not play games," said the Namek.  Goku gave him a light punch on the arm.

            "Oh, come on, lighten up!  Hey, Chibi, you're supposed to fight back!"

            Chibi gasped for air.  His face was red and there were tears running down his face, he was laughing so hard.  "I can't!" he managed to say.  "Help!"

            Goku grinned.  "Help, huh?" he said to himself.  Then he pounced on Gohan, giving Chibi room to escape.

            "AIEE!" yelled Gohan.  "Dad!"  However, that was all he was able to say before Goku began tickling him in much the same manner he had been tickling Chibi only moments before.

            "Do you give?" said Goku, never letting up.

            "Never!  Chibi, help!" Gohan choked.  Chibi simply shrugged and sat down.

            "Nope.  You deserve it."

            "You little—Piccolo-san!"

            "Sorry, kid, I'm staying out of this one.  You're going to have to get out of this on your own."

            Gohan made a miserably failed attempt at glaring at both of them before cracking up again.  Chibi grinned, stood, and walked over to him.  "Okay, I'll help," he said, then began tickling Gohan as well.

            "Help me, not him!  Help _me!_" Gohan said.

            Piccolo let out a snort of laughter, shook his head, and calmly walked off to find Mr. Popo.  The Son boys' laughter could be heard echoing throughout the lookout as the tickle war continued.

            All three of them were lying on their backs, breathing hard through lopsided grins, staring at the sky.  The entire battle had hardly lasted ten minutes, and it had ended with Chibi turning on Goku and Gohan throwing them both off.

            "So…" Gohan said suddenly, "Do you think…we made…any progress?"  His breathing was slowly returning to its normal pace, but it was still heavy.

            Goku sat up.  "Not unless you call wearing ourselves out with a pointless bout 'progress'."

            "Guess not."

            Chibi rolled over and looked at Gohan, and Gohan turned his head to look at Chibi.  "What were you laughing about earlier, anyways?  You said you'd tell me later."

            "Huh?  Oh yeah!  It was just…an amusing memory, that's all.  The first time I took Trunks up here, I forgot to tell him to watch where he was going.  He was only about nine, but still…he was paying more attention to the carvings on the tower than what was ahead of him, and he sort of collided head-on with the bottom of Korin's platform."

            Chibi clamped his hands over his mouth and snickered.  "Was he okay?"

            "Yeah, he was fine.  He just had a little bit of a concussion.  Sometimes I wondered if that kid's skull wasn't thicker than mine."

            Goku raised both eyebrows.  "His head was harder than yours?  Now that's saying something."

            Gohan glared at Goku and smirked.  "Like you've got any room to talk, Father dearest."

            Goku just shrugged.

            Gohan stretched and yawned, then folded his arm under his head and closed his eyes.  Chibi poked him.  "You're not gonna go to sleep, are you?"

            "I might."

            "How can you sleep at a time like this?  It's…it's…hey, Dad?  What time is it?"

            "I'd say about one or so."

            "Yeah!  It's one o'clock!"

            "So?"

            Chibi rolled his eyes.  "You can't just fall asleep at one in the afternoon."

            Gohan half-opened one eye.  "And why not?"

            "I dunno.  You just can't."

            "Well, if you can't think of a good reason, then maybe I will just go to sleep.  I'm tired."  He closed both eyes and took a deep breath.  Chibi cocked his head sideways, then stood up and smiled.  He straddled Gohan's midsection and sat down on him.  Gohan opened his eyes and glared at Chibi, then looked over at Goku, who had his hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter.  "I was a persistent little brat, wasn't I?" he said to himself, then started to push himself up.  Chibi's eyes widened as he began to fall backwards, but he reached out and pulled Gohan's arm out from under him.  Gohan hit the ground again, cringed, coughed, and rubbed the back of his now-throbbing head, then shot Chibi the most lethal death glare the boy had ever seen.

            "Uh…sorry?" Chibi said timidly.  Gohan shook his head.

            "I don't think so.  If you think for one minute that the fact that you're me will stop me from inflicting serious bodily harm on you, you're dead wrong.  Now get off."

            Chibi obediently stood up and backed away, and Gohan sat up.  They both glared at their father as Goku lost control of his laughter.

            "Just what is so funny?" they both said, then looked at each other.  Their apparent psychic link sent Goku into an even louder fit and he hugged his stomach and fell over.  "What?" they repeated, a little louder and a little more annoyed.

            "N…nothing…I just hope that if Chibi ever gets a little brother, he doesn't treat him like you treat Chibi, Gohan."

            Chibi and Gohan looked at each other again then smirked at Goku.  Goku immediately stopped laughing as the duo began to advance towards him.  "Oh, Father dearest…" said Chibi menacingly.

            "You may want to take advantage of your Super Saiyan speed right about now," added Gohan.  Goku gulped, leapt up, and took off around the corner, closely followed by Gohan and Chibi.

            They shot past Piccolo, and Goku dove straight down off the edge of the lookout.  "See ya, Piccolo-san!" Chibi called over his shoulder as they disappeared over the edge of the lookout as well.

            Piccolo blinked in surprise and confusion as the delayed breeze took hold of his cape and whipped it against his back and legs.

            Goku glanced back over his shoulder.  The duo was gaining on him, and fast.  In a quick flurry of gold light, he transformed and dashed off with renewed speed.

            "Man, now we'll never catch him!" Chibi said, watching his father shrink in the distance.  Gohan smirked.

            "Don't worry, we'll get him.  Wrap your arms around my neck and hold on tight."

            Chibi did as he was told, and grinned as Gohan's hair spiked up.  Gohan looked back at Chibi, his aura shining in his green eyes.  "Ready?"  Chibi nodded, and Gohan smiled and increased his speed tenfold.  Chibi laughed with excitement and delight and tightened his grip.  The world flew by in a messy smear of undefined color, and Chibi felt himself getting dizzy as it all streaked past.  He squeezed his eyes shut and hid his face from the stinging wind.

            "Hey, Dad!" Gohan called as he rushed up parallel to Goku and saluted.  Goku facefaulted.

            "How did you do that?  I didn't think you were that fast!"

            "You obviously underestimated me, then!"  Gohan laughed and picked his speed back up, leaving Goku in the dust.  Chibi looked back and stuck his tongue out, then laughed as well.

            "Yeah, big brother!  We did it!"  He extended his arm and pointed towards the horizon.  "Come on, we've gotta beat him home!"

            "Aye aye, Captain!  Hold on!"

            Chibi hugged Gohan's neck tightly, and Gohan lifted a little higher into the air and did a barrel roll, then shot straight up, paused a moment, and nose-dived.  Chibi squeezed his eyes shut, and Gohan pulled up at the last possible second, almost flying low enough to touch the grass.

            The small dot on the horizon that was the Son House rushed up fast, and Gohan screeched to an abrupt halt less than half a foot from the door.  Chibi let go and slid down Gohan's back to the ground.

            "Man, I haven't had that much fun in a long time!" Gohan said, letting his hair fall back into its normal style.  Chibi's grin was spread ear to ear, and he looked up at Gohan.  Gohan smiled again and pushed the door open.  Chibi ran in and stopped in the middle of the living room.

            "Hey Mom!  We're back!" he called.

            "Good timing!  Lunch is ready!" Chichi yelled back.

            Chibi and Gohan looked at each other and yelled, "Yes!  Food!"  Chibi ran around behind the chair into the kitchen, and Gohan leapfrogged the couch.  They both plopped down in their chairs at the same moment and held up their bowls, which were promptly filled with rice.

            "Itadakimasu![1]" Gohan said, and began to shovel the rice in his mouth with Saiyan speed.

            Chibi simply grinned and began eating as well.  Both had downed about three bowls before Goku finally walked through the door.  He poked his head in the kitchen, grinned, and said, "Hey, food!"  He sat down, and Chichi filled his bowl as well before seating herself.

            Shi looked around at the trio, smiled softly, and sighed.  "Goku, I have enough trouble feeding just the two of you.  What am I supposed to do with three Saiyans?"

            To everyone's surprise, Gohan stood and sat his bowl down in the sink, then ran the back of his arm across his mouth.  "Don't worry, Mom, I probably don't eat as much as they do.  There's a much more limited supply of food in my timeline, so I've trained myself to eat in somewhat human proportions." 

            Chichi nodded, then glanced down at Gohan's left side.  His missing limb was much more apparent without his jacket masking it.  "Where's your coat?" Chichi asked.

            "Huh? Oh, I must've left it up at the lookout.  Ah well, I'll get it later."  He stifled a huge yawn, then said, "I think I'm going to take a nap.  Hey, Chibi, can I use your bed?"

            Chibi shrugged and swallowed his mouthful of rice.  "It's your bed too, isn't it?"

            Gohan got a very Goku-esque look of thought of his face.  "Yeah, I guess that's true…thanks, bro!"  He yawned again and headed upstairs.  Chichi stared after him, and Goku waved his hand in front of her face.

            "Chichi?  Honey?  You in there?" he said with his mouth full.  Chichi blinked a couple of times and looked at him.

            "Yes.  I just…he really is Gohan, isn't he?"

            Goku swallowed.  "Yeah.  Why?"

            "No reason.  But he looks exactly like you."  She smiled and went back to her bowl of rice.  Goku simply shrugged and went back for thirds.

*****

[1] It basically translates to, 'I humbly accept'. If you've seen the Japanese version of The History of Trunks, you've heard both Gohan and Trunks say it.  It's the line the FUNibakas translated to "Chew Attack!" in the dub.

That chappie was a little more lighthearted than the others, but I figured, 'Hey, everyone's gonna kill me if I don't let up on Gohan.' So I did.

MG: Thank Kami-sama.

Well, that, and I started writing two more really angsty fics (one Mirai Trunks, one Mirai Gohan) that I don't have posted yet…

MG: And she pairs me up with the female Jinzouningen in one of them! *growls, eyes flash green*

Yes, but it's a one-sided relationship for the most part, so don't worry.  It's not like you'll actually fall in love with her…of course, I could change my mind…

MG: *massive sweatdrop* 

Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out. Oh yeah! I've finally got a scanner, so go to my website and check out my fanart! There's an awful lot of Gohan…I'll have it up sometime over the weekend, so if I don't have it up yet when you check, look back about Monday.  Well, ja ne, minna! I must go write chapter 8!  


	9. Conversation

Konnichi-wa, minna-san! Happy Easter!

MG: *munching on a chocolate rabbit* It took you long enough to write a new chapter, didn't it?

Oh, shut up.  I'm doing my best. Gomen, minna, it did take a while. Now I'm all hyped up on sugar! But I'm tired, too…

MG: Well, if you hadn't been up writing at midnight last night, you wouldn't be. Hurry up with the feedback; we have quite a bit to do.

Alright, I'm gettin' to it! *mumbles something about Gohan being a slave driver*

MG: I heard that.

Do I look like I care? I didn't think so. Now, on to the feedback.

Chris-Redfield26: Aiee…you're worse than me!

            MG: CUT THAT OUT!!!! *eyes flash green*

            Eheh…Chris? You might wanna stop…

Contrail: Too much torture can get monotonous, so I'll try to break from it every once in a while.

            MG: Thank the Kais! *puts Contrail on his list of people to be nice to*

Silver Warrior: That would be awesome, but I think it would screw up the story.

Kakkabrat: Your caps lock was stuck again.  And don't worry, Vegeta will be sorry he ever crossed Gohan here in a few chappies.

            MG: Yesss!! I get to knock the crap out of Vegeta! *flashes 'victory' sign*

Frying Pan of DOOM: Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying it!

Knight's Shadow: Is that like a form review or something? Ah well.

Chibi Lauryn: Your computer must like me or something, which is more than I can say for my own. Thanks for the compliments! 

            MG: You're blushing.

            I am not! *sticks tongue out*

Android 71: Actually, I was kinda thinking about that last chappie of 'Just Live' when I wrote the 'tickle torture' scene…but it was fun!

            MG: Plagiarism! Call the cops!

            *whacks Gohan with the FPoD* Shaddup, Gohan-san.

Goten's Guardian Angel: Yay! Kirby! (") See? Oh, and I'm glad you like my site!

            MG: Kirby…uh…huh…

manda: Trust me, there'll be a lot more of that coming up! Oi, poor Goku-san…

notgoingtotellyou: Yes, I wrote more! And what's up with your name? Why won't you tell me? Now I'm all curious!

            MG: *steals FPoD and whacks her* You ask too many questions.

Sailor Vegeta: Oiyyyy…poor Trunks…do you have Present Trunks? Because Mirai Trunks is over here.

            MT: *waves* You haven't let me help with your A/N for a while.

            MG: That's 'cause she loves me more. *Son Grin* Oh, SV, have fun tormenting Vegeta, too! *gets tackled by Trunks* HEY! You little—*string of random (but not too nasty) curses in Saiya-go*

            MT: Yeah, I love you too, Sensei.

sakura117us: Uh, I don't think Gohan's too happy with your comment…

            MG: *throws Trunks off* Wha—you want her to pair me with the Jinzouningen?! *growls, goes SSJ, starts to stomp off*

            MT: Oh, no you don't—*grabs him by the collar and yanks him backwards onto the couch*

Domo arigatou, Trunks-chan!

Kajeth: Ack! Too many questions! *falls over* @.@

            MT & MG: Get up! *kick her*

            Itai! *growls* Okay then, you may have to refer back to your review, but here's the answers in order: not really, he might, yes, yes…that's all, I think…

crescentdragonwagon: Oh, hi! Yeah, angst is the best. Say, when are you coming down again? I'm sorry I didn't get to meet you last time…and I'm still jealous because SSH got that Celtic Guardian card! *growls at SSH*

SSH: I was actually going to type this chappie when I read your review, so shaddup.

            MG: I'm on her side. You are lazy.

            MT: I'm smarter than that, Gohan-san—you don't take sides with Authoresses.

Oshky-dosh, that's all of the feedback, now on with the—

MT: You need to do a disclaimer.

MG: *clamps hand over Trunks's mouth* I thought you were smarter than that?

Thank you, Gohan-san! Now, Trunks, I would do a disclaimer IF I FELT LIKE IT, okay?

MT: *nods*

Now, on with the fic!

*****

            Gohan leaned over the sink a moment, his hand on the counter and his elbow locked to hold himself up, then he cupped his hand under the faucet and splashed the icy water on his face.  He shook his head, letting the droplets fly, and stared at himself in the mirror.  He reached up and gently pressed his fingers against his right cheekbone, where and almost purple bruise was forming from his earlier spar.  He winced as his fingertips came in contact with the wound.

            He let out a heavy sigh and pulled the neck of his black t-shirt over his head, then tossed it into the open hamper and proceeded to examine the rest of his upper body for any more cuts or bruises.  Finding none, except a large, rather sore, black-and-blue mottled bruise on his left shoulder, he pushed the bathroom door open and walked across the hall into his—or rather, Chibi's—bedroom. 

            He sat on the edge of the bed and stretched out until he felt his back pop, then pulled his legs up on the bed and lay down.  He stared at the ceiling a moment, but within seconds, he had drifted off.

            "Hey, bro!" Chibi yelled, walking up the stairs.  When no response came, he groaned and headed on down the hall towards his bedroom.  "Big bro, are you—"  He stopped short as he reached the doorway and looked in.  Gohan was still fast asleep, but his face was twisted into a look of pure fury as he tossed and turned.  He was also mumbling varied, incomprehensible things under his breath; it was mostly curses, from what Chibi could understand.  Chibi stared at Gohan's scarred torso a moment, then his eyes trailed to Gohan's left shoulder and what remained of his arm.  The arm stopped with a bright white scar only a couple of inches below the shoulder joint, and Chibi couldn't take his eyes away.

            Gohan let out a low growl in his sleep.  "No…Trunks!" he suddenly yelled, bolting into an upright position as his eyes snapped open.  He remained static a moment, then drew in a deep breath and fell backwards onto the pillow again.  He glanced over at the doorway and the corner of his mouth turned up.  "Hey, Chibi.  What's up?"

            "You, apparently.  Are you okay?  I think you were having a nightmare or something.  I came back here because your ki spiked, and I wanted to see what was wrong."

            The smile faded as Gohan's expression returned to normal—a look a lot like Vegeta's, now that Chibi thought about it.  "Yeah…sorry if I scared you.  I just…"  He hesitated a moment, contemplating, then shook his head and smiled again.  He sat back up, folded his legs into the lotus position, and rested his elbow on his knee.  "Come on; come sit down.  I could use someone to talk to."

            Chibi let a small smile creep onto his face as he crossed the room and sat on the bed, folding his legs as well.  Both remained silent for several minutes, as they were both fairly unsure of what to talk about.  Finally, Chibi piped up.  "So what were you dreaming about?" he asked cautiously.  The last thing he really wanted to do was pry into his older self's life, but the curiosity that came from being part Saiyan was getting the better of him.

            Gohan looked at him a moment, trying to decide how to reply.  He hung his head a little and stared at the quilt, then let out a deep sigh before speaking.  "Trunks's death.  I have dreams like this a lot, so I'm not sure why this one shook me up so bad.  I guess it's just a guilty conscience…I mean, I know that there wasn't really anything I could've done, but still…"

            "He was Vegeta's son, wasn't he?" Chibi asked as the sudden image of Bulma's new baby flashed in his mind.  Gohan glanced up and nodded.

            "He was nothing like Vegeta, though.  Well, except for his strength.  That kid was a lot more powerful than he thought he was; I just wish it had been enough."

            "Maybe we could go down to Capsule Corps later and see him.  He's only about a year old, but I'm sure Bulma won't mind."

            Gohan let out a soft snort of laughter at this.  "I'm not sure that's such a great idea.  Bulma might not react so well to finding out who I am, and I don't really want to deal with Vegeta again today on the off chance that he's there."

            Once again, the pair fell into an awkward silence.  Chibi watched the rug on the floor, but found his gaze involuntarily creeping back up to Gohan's left side.  It almost scared him to think about all that his future self must have gone through, and he reached up and rubbed his own shoulder as eerie thoughts floated into the back of his mind.  A hand passing in front of his face snapped him back into reality with a slight jump.  He glanced up at the hand's owner, who was looking back at him with gentle concern in his eyes.

            "You okay, little bro?  You were zoning out on me.  It worries me when people do that."

            Chibi turned his face away and looked up at the border on the top of the wall.  "I'm fine.  I was just thinking."

            Gohan paused a moment, then looked down at where his arm no longer was.  "If it bothers you, I'll go find a shirt.  I know you're having a hard time accepting the fact that I'm what you should, by all means, become, but I hope I've changed that.  I hope you don't ever have to experience the living hell my life somehow became."

            Chibi broke his gaze from the wallpaper and stared at Gohan questioningly.  "I'm sorry."

            "For what?"

            "I just feel sorry for everything you've been through.  I guess it's—"

            "Don't.  I can't stand pity.  If everyone else gets all upset about my problems, it just makes it worse for me."

            "Oh.  Okay then, I'll try not to."  Still air echoed around them a minute, but Chibi spoke up again with a softly voiced, very hesitant question.  "How did it happen?"

            Gohan leaned back against the headboard and cocked his head sideways.  "You like asking questions, don't you?" he asked with a wry smile.

            "Sorry."

            "Stop apologizing for everything.  You're talking to me like I'm your teacher or something, and I want you to talk to me like I'm your brother."

            "Okay.  You don't mind my asking you that, do you?"

            Gohan shook his head.  "Nah, but to be honest, I don't remember much.  You know where Super World is, right?"

            "Yeah, why?"

            "That's where we were fighting.  Trunks had gotten into a real mess—he was taking on Juhachigou alone.  The situation did not look too bright, to say the least.  I flew up to save him, and then hit the ground running.  Making sure he stayed alive had suddenly become my top priority, so I held on to him and hid.  The last thing I remember was this huge explosion of pseudo-ki hitting me in the back, and then I blacked out."  He looked at Chibi, who was leaned forward with his elbows resting on his knees and his hands folded under his chin, listening intently.  He looked back up at the ceiling and sighed.  "When I woke up, I was face-down in the dirt and I couldn't feel my arm.  I looked back to see why, and I…" his voice trailed off unsteadily.

            "Didn't you have any senzu beans?" Chibi asked, his tone hushed but laced with curiosity.

            "Just one, and Trunks needed it more than I did.  It was either my arm or his life lost, and I figured that my taking it would've put both of our lives at risk, because Bulma would've killed me had he died."  Gohan smiled a little at that last thought, because he knew it was true.  Forget the fact that he may well have been the planet's last hope, Bulma could be downright deadly when it came to protecting those she loved.  Of course, such was the way with most of the Z-Senshi.

            "If you took one now, would it work?"

            The smile disappeared as Gohan shook his head.  "Senzu beans can only heal new wounds.  I lost my arm three years ago, so I'm pretty sure it won't work."

            "You could still try."

            "If senzu beans could fix any injury, new or old, then Yamcha wouldn't have those scars on his face and Tien wouldn't have one on his chest, right?  And since they've both died and they still have their scars, I'm thinking the only way I'll get my arm back is by asking Shenron."

            "Then—"

            "And before you suggest we go looking for the Dragon Balls, there are more important things to wish for.  I get the feeling that with the Jinzouningen's arrival less than a month away, we'll need the wishes for bigger things than regenerating a limb I don't even notice I'm missing half the time."

            Chibi nodded in understanding, then jumped up off the bed.  "You wanna come with me to Capsule Corps?  Considering the way he was acting around you earlier, you probably won't have to worry about Vegeta.  He'll probably be acting anti-social, as usual, anyways."

            Gohan grinned.  "What the heck.  You go on downstairs; I'll find a shirt and be down in a minute, 'kay?"

            "Okay.  Don't take too long, though.  I want to get back here before dinner.  Bulma's not exactly the world's greatest chef, you know."

            Gohan raised one eyebrow and shrugged.  "I guess you get used to it after a while, because her cooking doesn't bother me."

            Chibi restrained his laughter and headed for the stairway.  Gohan just grinned again and shook his head, then pulled a capsule out of his pocket and tossed it onto the foot of the bed.  From the puff of smoke appeared his backpack, and Gohan dug in it for a clean shirt.  He pulled out a light blue, long-sleeved t-shirt and quickly tugged it on over his head.  He searched for the armhole a minute, then slid his arm in the sleeve and yanked it down over his torso.  He started out of the room, but glanced in to mirror as he passed.  The shirt wasn't form fitting, but it wasn't exactly loose, either.  He pulled the wide neck back up over his shoulder, leaving the left sleeve to hang vacant and free at his side.  He smiled at his reflection, a silent, subconscious prayer that Bulma wouldn't overreact like his mother had running through the back of his mind as he left the room.

            Goku rounded the corner as Gohan reached the bottom of the stairs, and he nearly collided with his son.  He appeared to be in a hurry, and a look of what Gohan assumed to be deep thought masked his usually cheery features.  "Sorry, Gohan," he said, his tone almost dark.  Gohan eyed him suspiciously.

            "What's up, Dad?"

            Goku shook his head.  "Nothing.  I was just going upstairs to find the Pepto Bismol."

            Gohan smirked and let out a lighthearted chuckle.  "What's this?  Did the great Goku eat too much?  Surely not with your appetite."

            Goku gave Gohan an obviously forced smile and shook his head again.  "Nah, I just think I have a little heartburn, that's all."

            Gohan started to say something, but was interrupted by his counterpart's voice from the living room.  "Hey, big bro, are you coming?"

            "Yeah, hold on a minute!" Gohan yelled back, then turned to Goku again.  "We're going down to Capsule for a couple of hours…are you alright, Dad?" he asked, worry entering his tone as he observed the small beads of sweat on Goku's forehead.

            "I'm fine, son.  Have fun at Bulma's, and don't get into any trouble, okay?"

            Gohan grinned with false innocence.  "Who, me?  Trouble?  Nah, what are you talking about?" he said as Goku started up the stairs.  Goku let out a single burst of laughter.

            "Double trouble now, there are two of you!" he said, partially to himself.  Gohan laughed and headed towards the living room.

            As soon as he walked through the doorway, he was regarded with a scowl from Chibi, who was perched on the back of the couch and tapping his fingers impatiently.  "Took you long enough," he said.  Gohan raised his hand in surrender, then rubbed the back of his head.

            "Hey, sorry, I just…ran into Dad, that's all."

            "Uh-huh.  Some excuse."

            "Whaaat?  Besides, it's not like Capsule Corps is gonna vanish from the face of the Earth if we don't leave within the next five seconds."

            Chibi shrugged.  "You never know…" he said casually, and was promptly cuffed playfully in the back of the head by Gohan.  An amused giggle from the kitchen doorway caused them both to look up.

            "You two are just like siblings," Chichi said, evoking a broad Son Grin from the duo.

            "We're worse than siblings," said Gohan.

            "Yeah, we're each other!" Chibi added as he leapt off the couch and onto Gohan's back, flinging his arms around Gohan's neck in a silent demand for a piggyback ride.  Gohan let out a yelp of surprise and shot Chibi an intentionally ineffective glare.  Chichi laughed again.

            "Yes, you are worse than siblings.  Just don't give Bulma too many problems.  I'm sure she has enough to deal with between the baby and that husband of hers."  Her reference to Vegeta was filled with sour contempt, and she let it show.  Then she smiled at Gohan and shook her head.  "You're such a handsome young man, and you look so much like your father it's scary."

            A rather shy grin tugged at the corner of Gohan's mouth, and the tops of his cheeks reddened a little.  "Mom…"

            Everyone looked up at the ceiling suddenly as the sound of breaking glass echoed from the second floor, shortly followed by a loud 'thud'.  Chibi jumped off of Gohan's back and ran towards the stairs, Chichi and Gohan walking close behind.

            "What was that?" asked Chichi.  Gohan just shrugged.

            "Mom, bro, hurry!  Something's wrong with Dad!" Chibi yelled at them from the bathroom.  Gohan and Chichi looked at each other and dashed up the stairs and to the bathroom.

            They found Chibi kneeling on the tile floor over Goku, a look of panic on his face.  Goku's expression was one of extreme pain, and his hand was tightly clutching the left side of his chest.  Although Chichi did not approve of Gohan's language, what he said expressed what all three were thinking—

            "Oh shit."

*****

Yeah, so that chappie was mostly talk and no action.  It was more of a transition chapter; so sue me.

MG: Weren't you going to save that little chat between me and Chibi until later in the story?

I was, but it just sort of happened here.  Oh, and to my readers—I need your opinion.  The Jinzouningen are going to show up here in just a couple of chapters, and I want to know if I should have Jukugou and Nijugou show up first, or if I should just cut right to the chase with Juunanagou and Juhachigou.  To be honest, I would rather not fool with the first two, but it's up to you guys.  

MG: She would also like to apologize in advance for her laziness and the fact that her next chapter will probably take just as long or longer to get out as this one.

Gohan-san?

MG: Yes?

My chapters are getting gradually longer.  Would you like me to make you type another one?  The last one I made you type was only a couple of pages.

MG: I'd rather not, thank you very much.

Then shut up.  Well, ja ne! 


	10. Flashback

*peeks timidly in the door, cautious of flying tomatoes and AFLAC ducks* Gohan-san? Is it safe?

MG: *sitting at the desk, flipping through reviews* Yeah, I think…they're not mad at you or anything…

But it's been a month since I updated! I hate it when it takes people that long to update, so now I'm being hypocritical!

MG: Chill. They're not gonna kill you. Well, SSH might, but that was inevitable anyways.

True. Gomen nasai, minna! I know it's taken me forever to get this chappie out, but it's a LOOONG one, so hopefully, that'll make up for it. 

MG: Long by your standards, anyways. Early warning, minna, she tortures me to no end in this chapter…look at the chapter title and take a wild guess.

Speaking of which, flashbacks are written in italics, oshky-dosh? Now on to reviewer feedback!

Contrail: Now why would I let Goku-san die? Gohan would murder me.

            MG: Got that right. *waves back* You know, this isn't a very long list…

Frying Pan of DOOM: I feel loved…oh yeah! It's butt-whoopin' time!

Knight's Shadow: Yup. Form review.

Goten's Guardian Angel: *glares at Gohan*

            MG: *looking at the ceiling with his hand behind his back* Huh? You think I threw that tomato? I'm smarter than that!

            Yeah. And I think he was about to say something, but Chibi interrupted. He really is smart…at least, I think…

2 cents: That was a long enough name…yeah, I could have done that, but then this would be a different story.

Trunks Soatome: Thanks! I love writing battles…there's a big one in this chappie.

Android 71: You know, that's a really good idea. ^___^

            MG: I heard that! *holds eraser threateningly over A71's name on his LOPTBNT* You, my friend, are EVIL. And my name is GOHAN, not 'Gohannie', and *glares at Ani* not 'Go-chan'! 

            Whaaat? I like calling you 'Go-chan'! *glomps him for no reason*

Kakkabrat: Ohhhh, I get it. I read your story, btw, and it's good! My popup blocker hates me, or I would have reviewed…

Chris-Redfield26: *holding Gohan back* No, Gohan-san, you are NOT allowed to kill the reviewers!

            MG: *growls, hair spikes gold* Let go! I'm not gonna kill anybody, but this kid has had WAY too much sugar! *powers back down, gets a very genki tone* And anyways, I'm already the King of Sarcasm and a prince by my mom's blood, so why would I want to be Prince of the World?

Silver Warrior: Yeah, it kinda picked a bad time, especially since he was already supposed to have had it.

sakura117us: Oh, I'm so sorry! A full week without Gohan? The torment! The suffering! I can't bear to think of it! *gets bashed* What? I'm only being slightly sarcastic…I can only go a few days without him. And who says he's yours? *huggles MG protectively*

manda: Well, there was a psychologist (whose name I couldn't remember if my life depended on it) who said that who you are is determined by the life you live and your past experiences, so that's why they're so different. Just look at the two Trunkses. It also has to do with their ages 

SSH: You died again? *shrugs* Maliki, you should know better than to poke her.

            MG: Hey! I can type pretty fast, considering I only have one hand! *sticks tongue out*

Well, that's all of that, so on with the chapter! Nyeh…this gets a little violent, just to warn you ahead of time. And so I don't get sued—I **still** don't own DBZ.

*****

            Gohan stood static at the bedside, watching his father toss his head back and forth in pain.  Goku's breathing came in quick, short gasps, and his hand was clenched so tightly over his heart that Gohan wouldn't have been surprised to see a bruise form on his chest.  Gohan glanced over at the doorway where Chibi was standing, and Chibi looked down the hall.

            "She's coming," he said, and walked on in the room.  A few seconds later, Chichi entered with a small bottle in one hand and a glass of water in the other.  She kneeled by the bed and, without taking her eyes off of Goku, thrust the bottle at Gohan.

            "Here, take the lid off of this for me," she said as she brushed the hair from Goku's eyes, lifted his head a little, and put the glass to his lips.

            Gohan stared at the bottle a minute, then looked at Chichi.  "Mom…I can't."

            She looked up at him in confusion, then dropped her eyes to his sleeve.  "Oh, I'm so sorry…I wasn't thinking."  Gohan forced a small smile and shook his head, then handed the bottle to Chibi.  He knew she had more important things on her mind at the moment than the small detail that opening a pill bottle was a two-handed job.  He stepped back into the corner and leaned against the wall, figuring he could be of no assistance.

            Chibi unscrewed the lid and handed Chichi one purple pill.  She held it up to Goku's mouth.  "Now, Goku, this will make it better.  Just swallow it, okay?"  She pushed the pill into his mouth, then placed the glass against his lips again and tipped it up.  He swallowed and lay still, and while his breathing was still fast and heavy, his grip on his gi had loosened.  Chibi disappeared from the room a minute, and returned with a cold, damp washcloth.  He handed it to Chichi, who wiped the sweat from Goku's face, then folded the washcloth and laid it on his forehead.

            "Will he be okay, Mom?" Chibi asked.

            "I don't know, dear.  Let's just hope for the best."

            Chibi nodded and swallowed hard.  He hesitated a moment and watched as his father's expression softened and his breathing slowed to normal, then he turned and left the room.  Gohan noted how tightly Chibi's fists were clenched at his sides, and he raised one eyebrow in confusion and curiosity.  He shrugged it off, then walked over to the bedside and put his hand on Chichi's shoulder.  "You okay, Mom?" he asked softly.  She looked up into his dark brown eyes, finding comfort in his reassuring gaze.  She smiled a little and nodded, and he smiled back.  "I'm gonna go check on Chibi," he said as he turned and started towards the door.  He paused in the doorway and looked back at his father's peacefully sleeping form, then went down the hall.

            Gohan stepped out on the lawn to find Chibi hovering a few feet off the ground, furiously throwing punches and kicks into the air.  He whirled in a double roundhouse and gasped in surprise as his ankle unexpectedly struck Gohan's wrist.  Gohan smiled and lowered his arm.  "Wouldn't training be doing you more good if you had someone to train against?  In my experience, empty space doesn't put up much of a fight."

            Chibi snorted, turned his back to Gohan, and resumed his solitary training.  Gohan's smile faded as his brow creased in slight confusion at Chibi's attitude.  He cautiously walked towards his younger self, ducked another kick, and blocked three punches before Chibi stopped again.

            "Will you just leave me alone?" he snapped at Gohan.  Gohan stared at Chibi in shock, slightly taken aback.  He couldn't figure out what had gotten into the boy; the situation wasn't that bad.

            "What's wrong, little bro?" he asked.  Chibi glared at him in response, then sighed and hung his head.

            "Nothing, I guess.  I'm just…having one of those days.  Sorry I yelled at you."

            Gohan smiled again and shook his head.  "Nah, it's alright.  I used to get that all the time from Trunks."  He sat down in the grass and patted the ground beside him, inviting Chibi to sit down as well.  Chibi accepted the offer and plopped down next to Gohan.  Chibi leaned back and stared up at the sky, watching the clouds float overhead.  Gohan bent his knee up to his chest and folded his arm across it, then rested his chin on his forearm and gazed intently out at the horizon.

            Chibi looked over at Gohan a moment, trying to read his expression.  After failing at that, he asked, "Where did you get that scar?"

            Gohan glanced sideways at his and smirked.  "Which one?"

            "The one on your chest.  I noticed it when we were up in my room."

            Gohan looked down at the cross-shaped scar over his pectoral muscle.  It was about half-visible above the low-cut neck of his shirt.  Then he looked over at Chibi with a knowing grin.  "A battle."

            Chibi rolled his eyes.  "I could've figured that out myself.  Do you think you could be a little more specific?"

            "With the Jinzouningen."  Chibi groaned, then reached over and whacked Gohan upside the head.  Gohan laughed.  "What?  You asked a question, I gave you an answer."

            "Never mind.  I was just curious, but you're being a pain in the butt." 

            Gohan's grin broadened as he shook his head.  "Actually, I'm just seeing how far I can push you.  Seeing how obstinate you were being earlier today, I thought you would've kept going longer."

            "Did you enjoy messing with Trunks like this, too?"

            "Yup, every time I got the chance."

            "You're pathetic."

            "Don't speak so badly about yourself."

            This last comment promptly got Gohan cuffed again.  He just laughed, mostly at the rather disgruntled look on Chibi's face as the younger boy folded his arms and gave Gohan a sidelong glare.  Gohan rolled his eyes, then cocked his head sideways.  "D'you really want to hear about it?"  Chibi nodded, and Gohan smiled.  "Overview or detailed version?"

            "We've got some time to kill…unless you still want to go to Capsule."

            Gohan shrugged.  "It's up to you.  I'm game for just about anything right now."

            "Then tell me everything."  Chibi folded his legs, rested his elbows on his knees, and propped his head in his hands, curiosity sparkling in his eyes.  Gohan hesitated a moment, trying to figure out if it was the allure of a battle story or wanting to know all that had happened in the life he wouldn't live that had Chibi so interested.  He shrugged, figuring it didn't matter either way, and began his story.

(A/N: Gomen for interrupting, but I must inform you of something.  This little flashback is not necessarily what Gohan is telling Chibi, it's what I'm telling you.  Don't forget, everything in italics is a flashback, so the next little bit  will be formatted accordingly.  Sorry in advance if this drives anyone insane.  Back to the fic!)

_            It was just one of those days—perfect except for that single, ominous rain cloud hovering right over Gohan's head.  He wasn't sure if he'd just gotten up on the wrong side of the bed or if his foul mood was prophetic of events yet to come that day.  He stumbled out of bed, still half asleep and fully brain-dead, and headed for the bathroom, tripping over almost all the clothes scattered about the bedroom floor._

_            The doorframe patiently waited for the right moment to leap five inches to the right just as Gohan reached the doorway.  His shoulder slammed into the doorframe, not only leaving a throbbing bruise and a small cut, but also waking Gohan up completely.  He cursed at the piece of wood and splintered it with his fist; he didn't really care that his mother was going to kill him, nor did care that his knuckles were now bleeding as well._

_            This was just not his day._

_            After a very icy shower (due to the fact that the water heater was on the blitz again), Gohan walked back into his bedroom, this time carefully avoiding the potential hazards on the floor.  He mumbled something to himself about cleaning up later as he kicked a shoe aside and reached for the knob on his chest-of-drawers.  He jerked on the drawer, but it refused to open, much like the mouth of a child when one is trying to feed said child broccoli.  The entire piece of furniture was moving each time he yanked on it, but the drawer itself refused to budge.  He gritted his teeth and punctuated each word as he spoke with another pull on the knob.  "Why—won't—you—open?  Gaaah, this would be SO much easier if I had—both—HANDS!!"  As he yelled the final word, the drawer flew open, sending Gohan toppling backwards._

_            He just lay there on his back a moment, his head pounding, contemplating all the different ways he could obliterate the chest-of-drawers.  Strangely, the inevitable consequences for each of his actions didn't seem to faze him any.  He slowly got up and rubbed his head, then began digging through the drawer.  He lightly tossed a pair of jeans onto the bed, then pulled out the blue shirt he normally wore under his gi and pushed the drawer closed._

_            He let out a low growl as he fumbled with his clothes.  "Everything is against me…"  It had only been a couple of months since he had lost his arm, and he wasn't quite used to functioning without it yet.  He struggled with the button at the waist of his jeans for about five minutes before he finally managed to fasten it, then he sat on the edge of the bed and pulled on his shirt._

_            "Gohan!" his mother's voice said from the base of the stairs.  "Time to get up!  Breakfast is ready!"_

_            "Yeah, I'm coming!" he yelled back as he got up and started across the room.  He glared at the splintered doorframe as he passed, then headed down the stairs._

_            Gohan held his hand over his mouth as he neared the bottom of the stairs in a poorly failed attempt to stifle a huge yawn.  He rubbed his eyes; even though he was technically awake, his mind was still thick with sleep and he was finding it very difficult to think straight.  He wandered into the kitchen, where his mother was standing over the stove stirring a large pot._

_            "Hey, Mom," he said as he crossed the room, then fell backwards into his chair at the table._

_            "Good morning, sleepy-head.  Did you sleep well?" Chichi asked as she turned to the table with Gohan's plate.  He shook his head._

_            "Hardly."  Chichi carried a bowl of oatmeal over to the table and sat it beside Gohan's plate.  "Itadakimasu," he said, picking up his spoon.  He began eating, but not in the normal Saiyan manner—quite the opposite, he was eating at a normal human pace.  Chichi raised one eyebrow and sat beside him at the table._

_            "Gohan?  Is something wrong?"_

            He looked up in thought a moment, then shook his head again.  "You know," he said, waving his spoon as if to make a point, "I think all the inanimate objects in this house are in cahoots against me."  Chichi suppressed a laugh, and Gohan looked at hear, both eyebrows raised slightly.  "No, I'm serious!  My doorframe attacked me this morning, and then the drawer tried to murder me!  I swear, if those Jinzouningen don't kill me, my furniture will."

_            Chichi's brow furrowed at mention of the Jinzouningen.  "Gohan, don't tell me you're planning on fighting them today."_

            Gohan let out a snort of laughter through his smirk.  "Not unless I have to.  I'm really sore today, and I did not get enough sleep last night."  He got up from the table, his empty bowl stacked on top of the now-clean plate, and sat his dishes by the sink.  "I'm gonna go watch TV or something for a little while."  He yawned again as he walked into the living room and fell onto the couch.  He picked up the remote and began flipping through channels, pausing when he found 'Tom & Jerry.'  He smiled and kicked back, thoroughly enjoying the animated mayhem on the screen.  Chichi walked into the living room and stood behind the couch, her hands on her hips.

_            "A grown man watching cartoons," she said to herself, rolling her eyes.  Gohan leaned his head over the back of the couch, looking at her upside-down with a grin._

_            "Yeah?  So?"_

_            She laughed and shook her head, but was glad to see that his eyes had gone from the cold onyx they had been earlier to a dark brown, indicating he was now in a better mood.  They both looked up at the TV as the soft beep of radar reached their ears.  In the lower left corner of the screen was a small radar map with a dot that flashed bright green each time the bar swept over it.  A warning scrolled across the bottom of the screen—'All roads to and from Sage town, the location of the latest Jinzouningen attack, have been destroyed.  Please stay tuned for further information.'  The words began to roll by again, and Gohan rolled his eyes and stood up.  Chichi put a hand on his shoulder, and he looked at her through obsidian eyes._

_            "Please be careful, Gohan.  I don't want you getting hurt again."_

_            "Don't worry; I'm not going to do anything stupid.  I love you, Mom," he said casually as he kissed her on the cheek, then turned and left.  Chichi sat sown on the couch and stared at the map._

_            "Damn those monsters…" she said to herself as she heard the door click shut.  _

_            Gohan massaged his temple as he flew towards the pillar of smoke billowing from Sage Town, trying to relieve the headache now throbbing behind his eyes.  "This day just keeps going downhill…" he muttered to himself.  He was now over the ruined city, and he shook his head.  Somehow, through the explosions and screams, the small sound of a crying child reached his sensitive ears.  He dipped into the street, looking for the source of this sound, and spotted a young girl curled up by a lamppost with a teddy bear.  Tear trails streaked her face, and her dress was stained with blood, though little of it seemed to be her own.  Gohan cautiously walked over and kneeled in front of her.  Her eyes widened in fear as she scrambled backwards against the light post.  Gohan gently reached out and wiped the tears from her eyes.  "It's okay.  I'm not going to hurt you," he said with a smile.  She swallowed and nodded.  "Do you know where they went?"  She nodded again and pointed to the west—deeper into the city._

_            "Are you going to fight them?" she asked in a shy, still-frightened voice._

_            "I'm going to try."_

_            "My brother tried, and so did Daddy.  But they…"  Tears welled up in her bright blue eyes again.  "How are you going to fight them?  You only have one arm."_

_            Gohan nodded grimly.  "I know, but I'm still going to try.  Do me a favor and stay safe, okay?  If you find anyone else, stay with them until the Jinzouningen leave."_

_            The five year old nodded and held her bear tight to her chest.  Gohan smiled, stood, and looked off in the direction she had pointed.  Whether he liked it or not, now he had to fight—if nothing else, to protect this child.  He walked a few feet, then lifted off the ground.  The girl's eyes widened again._

_            "Are you an angel?" she asked.  Gohan looked back over his shoulder, smiled, and shook his head._

_            "No, I'm not.  But my friends are, and they're watching over us."_

_            The girl smiled and watched Gohan fly deep into the chaos that once was Sage Town.  Somehow, she knew that everything would be all right._

_            Gohan touched down again in the shadows and looked around the corner.  He was being more cautious than normal, but with good reason.  He was now fighting alone, and couldn't get any help whether he wanted it or not.  The battle that had taken the life of his little brother had only been a month before, and it was now time for revenge.  He stepped out of the shadows.  "Jinzouningen!" he yelled.  Both Juunanagou and Juhachigou turned and looked at him, their expressions somewhere between contempt and disregard.  "If you wanted to play today, why didn't you come find your 'toy'?  I would've been glad to oblige," he said sarcastically._

_            "Actually, we're just racking up points today.  If we'd wanted to fight, we would have found you," Juhachigou said with a shrug.  "But since you're here…there's no point in wasting a good opportunity.  Juunanagou, you're ahead by a good twenty points.  May I?"_

_            Juunanagou smirked.  "Whatever.  I was going to offer round one to you anyways, since you were off shopping last time.  He sat down on the hood of the car he had been standing on and folded his arms._

_            "Alright, then."  She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, smiled in her usual demonic way, and took her stance.  Gohan shot towards her, and she casually flung a blast at him.  He teleported, reappearing behind her just as the blast hit Juunanagou.  Juunanagou dusted his shirt off and glared at his sister._

_            "Hit _him_, not me!"_

_            "Sorry!  You shouldn't've been in the way!"_

_            Juunanagou just growled at her and folded his arms again._

_            Gohan tapped on Juhachigou's shoulder.  She turned and gasped in surprise as she found herself looking right into his eyes.  Gohan smirked.  "I've got a little present for you," he said, then dropped and knocked her feet out from under her with a roundhouse kick and grabbed her by the ankle.  He flung her around in a wide circle, then let go, sending her flying into the side of a building.  She was hardly on her feet before Gohan was on top of her again in a mad frenzy of wild, yet well-placed blows.  He threw his fist at her face, but she ducked, catching him off-guard.  She dove under him, then nailed him between the shoulder blades with her elbow.  The sudden shock to his spine caused his legs to give way underneath him, and he fell forward._

_            Juunanagou laughed from his perch.  "I thought I told you to find us when you thought you'd be a challenge!  This is no more than child's play!"_

_            Juhachigou snorted.  "If you think it's so easy—"  She pinned Gohan to the ground with her boot as he tried to get up, then finished her sentence.  "—Why don't you take him yourself?"_

_            "I had my fun last time.  It's your turn.  But if you're saying the cripple is too much for you, I'll gladly intervene, dear sister."_

_            Gohan glared at Juunanagou through glowing green eyes and leapt up, toppling Juhachigou.  "Is that all you take me for?  I'll show you, 'cripple'—" he hissed under his breath as he charged the male Jinzouningen._

_            Juunanagou looked up just in time to see a gold ball hurdling towards his chest, but he had no time to block or dodge.  The blast slammed into him with such force that he tumbled backwards and head-over-heels off the other side of the car.  He picked himself up and dusted off his off his shirt, then noticed how badly it was torn.  "He snarled at a now smirking Gohan.  "How many times have I told you not to mess with my clothes?!"  He glared at Juhachigou, who was laughing at him.  "What?!" he snapped._

_            "That's the second time he's trashed your shirt.  If you don't watch it, you'll end up without one."_

_            "Oh, shut up."  He turned back to Gohan.  "That's it, brat.  I've had it with you.  You're the one that picked this fight; what are you just standing there for?  Scared?"_

_            Gohan spat, his saliva tinged red with blood.  "You wish."_

_            Juunanagou growled and leapt over the car, then flung two blasts and a kick at Gohan, all of which were either blocked of ducked.  The pair engaged in a hand-to-hand melee, each one matching the other blow for blow.  In a fairly risky attempt, Gohan grabbed Juunanagou by the bandana and threw him into his twin.  Both flew backwards into an already-crumbling wall, and the concrete collapsed on top of them.  Gohan shot about twenty feet straight up and drew his hand back to his side._

_            "Ka…me…"_

_            The concrete shifted a little as the ball of blue energy formed in his palm._

_            "Ha…me…"_

_            A huge slab shattered as the twins rocketed from the pile of debris._

_            "HAAAA!!!"_

_            They were immediately engulfed in a huge orb of blue-white ki and dragged back into the ground.  The blast disintegrated the pile of rubble and formed a crater with a radius of about 15 feet.  Gohan dropped his hand as his hair faded to black.  His breathing was slightly heavier than normal, but he was far from tired._

_            The rubble shifted again, and two heads emerged, first blonde, then black.  The pair slowly turned their icy blue eyes to the demi-Saiyan in the sky, then shot each other a sidelong glance and nodded.  Gohan rolled his eyes and snapped into his defensive stance—he had seen this before, and it always meant trouble.  The Jinzouningen darted into the air, both teleporting just before they reached Gohan.  Gohan looked around frantically; then a pair of clasped hands slammed into his back.  The ground rushed up fast, but was intercepted by a black-haired figure.  Juunanagou kicked Gohan hard in the stomach, sending him flying back into the air and directly into Juhachigou's fists.  She knocked him sideways, and he smashed through a fourth-story window of an apartment building.  He hit the opposite wall in the room and slumped to the floor.  'This is ridiculous,' he thought.  'They're playing pinball with me!'  A small trickle of blood ran from his hairline down the side of his nose.  He coughed a couple of times, then cautiously reached up and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and slowly opened his eyes.  His vision was slightly blurred from the impact, but he could clearly see the forms of the twins hovering just outside the window.  He forced himself up, then put his hand to his forehead and stumbled back a step as a wave of dizziness washed over him.  He shook his head and fell into an unsteady attack position.  He blinked a few times, but it did nothing to correct his sight.  His peripheral vision was naught but fuzzy blackness, and his head pounded, indicating he probably had a concussion.  Juhachigou glided through the shattered window and floated a few inches in front of him.  Her lips were curled into a defiant, victorious smirk._

_            "You poor thing.  Did we play too rough with you?"  She laughed as Gohan made a feeble attempt to hit her and pitched forward, barely catching himself from falling.  He glared at her weakly as she backed out the window and hung next to her brother._

_            "Damn you…" he growled through gritted teeth.  "Damn…you both…to hell…"_

_            Juunanagou shook his head and waved a finger.  "No, no, children shouldn't use such vulgar language.  Juhachigou," he said, turning to his sister, "Would you like to do the honors?  Or shall we fire together?"_

_            "Let's finish this together."_

_            The Jinzouningen turned so that they were back to back, then each outstretched a hand.  The outsides of their hands touched, and a single yellow orb formed over their palms.  They smirked and spoke in unison.  "Now, you die."_

_            The glowing ball of pseudo-ki hit Gohan hard in the chest and hurled him backward into the cracking plaster.  He fell to the floor again, blood flowing freely from the wound and seeping into his clothes.  The right side of his chest felt constricted, and each breath sent another spike of pain through his body from his broken ribs.  The wound was so deep that bone was exposed under the torn muscle._

_            "Lucky for you our aim was off.  We were targeting your heart," said Juunanagou as the pair turned and flew away, completely unconcerned with anything._

_            Gohan's head swam, and he fought to stay awake.  He dragged himself across the floor to the window, and propped himself against the windowsill.  The shards of glass still there embedded themselves in his arm, but he didn't care.  He drew in a sharp, shallow breath and coughed.  His stomach lurched, and a sticky mixture of blood, saliva, and bile splattered on the floor.  "N…Nimbus…" he said, his voice hoarse and barely above a whisper.  The eternity of a few seconds later, the yellow cloud came to a halt just outside the window.  Gohan struggled to his feet; no sooner was he up than the artificial night at the corner f his eyes engulfed him and he toppled headfirst out the window and onto the cloud.  Instinctively, Nimbus rose above the skyline and darted towards West Capitol._

_            Bulma was kneeled behind Capsule Corps over a small grave, where grass had hardly begun to cover the dirt below the stone that said her son's name.  A single tear ran down her cheek and splashed on the dirt.  She looked up in confusion as a yellow line streaked overhead, then stood as it looped back and dropped altitude._

_            Nimbus slowed to a stop just in front of Bulma as her eyes widened in horror.  "Oh my God, Gohan…"  She ran into the house, the little cloud following._

_            Gohan forced his eyes opened and blinked slowly.  His head was still pounding, and his chest still felt tight.  He sat up, and immediately winced in pain and carefully lowered himself back onto the pillow.  He ran his hand over the bandages binding his torso, cringing as his fingertips brushed the broken ribs.  'That would explain why it's so hard to breathe,' he thought.  Somewhere through the thick numbness, there was a dull, hot pain in his right pectoral muscle.  He curiously reached up to explore the injury, but cried out in pain as soon as his fingers touched the bandages.  The door slid open._

_            "Oh, Gohan!  You're awake!" said Bulma as she crossed the room.  Gohan started to speak, then coughed, sending a sharp jolt of pain through his body.  "No, don't talk," she said.  Gohan ignored her and tried again._

_            "How long have I been here?" he asked, his voice low and rough.  His throat was dry, and he coughed again, cringing as his torso begged for mercy._

_            "A little over two days.  Do you know how lucky you are to be alive?  Or maybe it's just stubbornness."  A small smile tugged at the corner of Gohan's mouth.  "You are so much like your father.  No matter how badly you're hurt, you spring back in record time."  She checked Gohan's pulse and nodded with satisfaction, then went over to the sink and began digging through the cabinet.  "I spoke with your mom, by the way.  She called yesterday morning."_

_            "You what?!" he said, sitting halfway up before he realized what he was doing.  He cried out in pain as he fell back onto the pillow and wrapped his arm tightly over his chest.  He drew in air through gritted teeth in short, shallow gasps to keep from moving his ribs too much._

_            "That was smart, Gohan.  Look, you've got to lay still!  I'm sorry if I said something to startle you, but try not to do that again.  You've got about three broken ribs, and one is in a very precarious position.  One wrong move and you could puncture a lung.  Understand?"_

_            Gohan gave one quick nod and tried to relax his tense muscles.  He slowly took a deep breath, wincing slightly as his lungs and diaphragm shifted the broken bones.  "Thanks, Bulma," he said, and, with some effort, continued.  "That's twice now that you've saved my life, and I've lost count of how many times you've taken care of me.  What did you tell Mom?"_

_            Bulma sighed and turned around, a bottle in one hand and a washcloth in the other.  "Not enough to make her worry.   Is that what scared you?"  He nodded and watched as she sat on the edge of the bed, uncapped the bottle, and splashed some of the liquid onto the cloth.  She put the lid back on the bottle and sat both items down, then picked up the scissors from the side table and cut the bandages around Gohan's pectoral muscles, exposing the deep, cross-shaped gash.  She picked up the cloth.  "Now, Gohan, this might sting a little," she said, then touched the damp cloth to the wound.  Gohan winced and drew in a sharp breath through his teeth.  She paused a moment and looked up at him, then continued to clean the wound.  "It's healing fast, but I'm afraid it's gonna leave a scar."_

_            "Just one more to add to the list," he said.  Bulma smiled darkly.  Besides the one that marred his handsome face, Gohan had about five or six deep scars on his body, mostly on his torso and upper arm.  None, save the one on his face, were visible when he was dressed—a t-shirt did a nice job of hiding them.  "How long before you'll let me out of here?" he asked, closing his eyes.  Bulma's smile brightened._

_            "I'll tell you what.  When you can get out of bed and walk out of here on your own—meaning, not holding anything or getting any help—I'll let you go.  Okay?"_

_            Gohan smiled a bit and nodded.  "Good.  It shouldn't be long, then."  Bulma laughed as she carried the washcloth and bottle to the sink and retrieved a roll of fresh bandages._

_            "We'll see about that, Gohan.  Now sit up, but be careful, and I'll wrap you back up."_

_            Four days later, Gohan, though still very sore and trying to hide the effort it was taking, pushed past a protesting Bulma and climbed on Nimbus, then headed home._

            Chibi was now lying on his stomach with his arms folded under his chin, still paying close, undivided attention to every word his counterpart said.  Gohan stopped speaking and looked down at him, then smiled.  Chibi blinked once.  "Wow.  I guess you were having one of those days, too, only a hundred times worse."  Gohan laughed.

            "You could say that…hey, do you still want to go to Bulma's?  It's getting late, and you've already informed me that you're not a big fan of her cooking."

            Chibi jumped up, an enthusiastic grin on his face.  "Yeah!  Let's go!"  He grabbed Gohan by the wrist and tried to pull him to his feet, eager to get moving.  Gohan laughed again.

            "Whoa, chill!" he said, pulling his hand away.  He stood up, but almost immediately put his hand to his head and stumbled back a step.  Chibi looked up at him in concern.

            "Are you okay?"

            "Yeah, I'm fine.  Just a little dizzy.  I think I got up too fast, is all."  He shook his head, then smiled.  "Come on!"  Chibi nodded, and they both lifted into the air and sailed towards West Capitol.

*****

Aieee! That was a long chappie…Gohan?  Hey, Gohan-san!

MG: Zzzzzz….*snerk* Huhwha? Oh, you're done? It took you long enough.

Shut up.  Don't kill me, minna; it'll probably take just as long to get the next chapter out. *Ducks rotten tomatoes* However, I'm hoping I'll get some reviewer input on what should happen! I know what I'm doing, and I have most of the plot points planned, but I'm not real sure about some of it.  This story is for you guys, so help me out!

MG: Just don't suggest too much torture…_please…_

*Does Happy Hamster dance* School's out now, so hopefully I'll have more time to write! Oh yeah, and I've got some illustrations for this fic up on my website now, but my scanner's on the blitz so I can't guarantee I'll get any more up anytime soon. P Well, ja ne minna-san!


	11. Visit

Ack! Okay, minna, I'm back! *clasps hands together and bows* Gomen nasai…I should've updated sooner…well, you all have shadowphoenix and saiyanessonsugarhigh (SSH) to thank. SSH has been badgering me to update, and when shadowphoenix told me to, I figured I was inspired enough to write a little.  Thanks, guys! *hugs them both*

MG: Don't ramble too long. We have a ton of people to give feedback to.

Hai, I noticed…O_O; I feel loved. Well, as Go-chan said, there's a bunch of reviewers to say hi to, so I'll get on with it.  

Android 71: *pokes at the review* Look at all the smileys! Speaking of taking too long to update, I can't wait for you to update 'Inner Voices, Darkening Shadows'!

            MG: Dangit, why is it so hard to stay mad at you guys? *hugs her and puts the eraser away* There's nothing wrong with 'Gohannie'; I just prefer to be called 'Gohan'.

Frying Pan of DOOM: *blushes* Thanks for all the compliments…I feel so loved!

            MG: Yeah! It's more fun when I'm the one doing the whipping! *sticks tongue out at Ani*

Knight's Shadow: *does Happy Hamster dance for no apparent reason*

DBZ Chick: Thanks!

Goten's Guardian Angel: Yup, another scar story. Get used to it; there's probably more to come.

            MG: *slaps forehead* Not you too! Okay, I give up.

Vejita-Girl: Yeah, it's been a while since I've heard from you. Don't worry; Bulma and Baby Trunks are gonna meet Gohan in this chappie. Vegeta already met him, remember? ^^;  It wasn't exactly a pleasant meeting either…

shadowphoenix: Yay! I'm keeping them in character! *does Happy Hamster dance again* I feel so loved…I think maybe there will be more father-son moments later on, if you're looking for a reaction like that…by the way, I really like your fic! 

Silver Warrior: P Hamsters are NOT pure evil! Don't you watch 'Hamtaro'? ^^; Pathetic, ne? I'm 15 and I watch a kid's show…then again, so does my mom.^^;;;

            MG: I have no comment.

sakura117us: Yup! Stuff!

Davifflaelan: O_O;; Uh…that wasn't very smart…I hope you didn't mean any of that.

            MG: O_O;; I…uh…I'm not sure if I should be PO'd beyond belief or just really confused… and anyways, I'm not a wimp. I could probably kick your butt, regardless of whether I have both arms. P

            MT: *pokes head in* Loan me to fangirls? O_O;; You're gonna have to catch me first. *runs like the dickens*

Chibi Lauryn: *pats her on the head* Don't think too hard. Thinking can be hazardous to anyone's health.

            MG: *smirks* You should know.

*smirks* As should you.

Chris-Redfield26: *laughs and rolls eyes, then grins sadistically* Oh, Gohan-sama…

            MG: *swipes Chris's sugar and hides it* Yes?

            BONSAI! *pounces on him and puts a Santa hat on his head, then pulls on a red and green elf hat* See? I'm Santa's little helper! *huggles him possessively*

            MG: -_-;;;;; I give…

Alc: That's why I made a site dedicated to him! Thanks!

Kakkabrat: Oi, everyone wants to know why Gohan got all dizzy! Don't worry, you'll see. Yay! You updated! *does Happy Hamster dance* Fight scenes are fun—

            MG:—And you seem to especially enjoy it when I'm the one getting beat up. P

manda: Thanks!

SSH: We've already decided that the world is ending, so what else is new? Poor Maliki…you're so mean to him. And you're reading my mind because he's about to have another run-in with Veggie-chan.

Well, that's everybody. Oh, and thank to everyone that read my poem, too; I'm glad you liked it. Uh…disclaimer…yeah…what do you think? Oh yeah, and telepathy is written like this: /blah/  Got it?  Well, on with the fic!

MG: Wow. I do believe that was the shortest A/N she's ever done. As she said, on with the fic…

*****

            The duo landed lightly on the lawn behind Capsule Corps.  Gohan looked up and smiled at the sight of the domed building completely undamaged.  Chibi's feet had barely touched the ground before he was running towards the door.  He knocked enthusiastically and waited for Bulma's voice to crackle over the intercom.  "Who is it?" she said, and Chibi hit the button.

            "It's me, Gohan.  Can we come in?"

            The door slid open in response, and Chibi went in, shortly followed by Gohan.  Gohan looked around—other than the fact that the building was still in one piece, nothing had changed from his timeline.  "Hey, Bulma," he called, "Where are you?"

            "Coming," she yelled back as her footsteps echoed up the hall.  "Is that you, Goku?"  She rounded the corner and stopped, then smiled and continued wiping the grease from her hands.  "I'm sorry, you sounded just like a friend of mine," she said as she extended her hand.  Gohan smiled and took her hand, then gave the snickering Chibi a look that said, 'Be quiet.  You'll give me away.'  Chibi stopped laughing and smirked.

            "Close enough.  I'm Gohan."

            Bulma froze and stared at him, then looked down at Chibi.  She looked back up at Gohan, confused.  "What do you mean, you're Gohan?  He's Gohan!"

            "Hey, you were the one that built the time machine.  I'm him, only about 15 years older."

            Bulma's expression morphed from one of confusion to surprise, then to a smile.  "I built a time machine, huh?  Wait, I remember you!  You were the one that showed up right after Goku beat Frieza!  Wow, that would explain the looks on Goku and Piccolo's faces…"

            Gohan grinned.  "I can only imagine Piccolo's surprise."  His smile faded as he looked around again.  "Hey, Vegeta isn't here is he?"

            Bulma gave Gohan a questioning look, then nodded.  "Yeah, actually, he is.  Why?  He stormed in earlier muttering something about a one-armed brat telling him what to do and went straight back to the gravity chamber.  I haven't seen him since."

            Gohan smirked, obviously pleased with something.  "I ticked him off that bad, eh?  Good."

            "What do you mean?"

            Chibi snickered again at Bulma's confusion and the satisfied grin on Gohan's face.  "I'm the one-armed brat," Gohan said, then watched as the realization clicked in Bulma's eyes.  She smiled at him.

            "No wonder he's in such a bad mood."  A loud wail echoed from the back of the building, and Bulma rolled her eyes.  "That kid is more demanding than his father, I swear," she said to herself as she turned and headed back to the nursery.  Chibi and Gohan looked at each other, shrugged, and followed.

            The pair rounded the corner to find Bulma gently rocking Trunks's crib back and forth in a miserably failing attempt to quiet him.  The cries grew louder, so she picked him up and rocked him in her arms instead.  She began humming softly, then sang quietly to him.  "Hush, little baby, don't say a word…"  Gohan stared at her a moment.  He remembered her singing that to her dead son the night the boy had died as he headed upstairs, and the memory was not a pleasant one.  However, the sight of baby Trunks also brought memories of the first time he had met the purple-haired boy flooding back.  A gentle smile spread across his face as the baby stopped crying and blinked up at Bulma.

            "Mama!" Trunks yelled as he reached towards her face.  Bulma laughed and kissed his forehead, then looked over at Chibi and Gohan.  Trunks looked at the pair as well, then pointed and mumbled "Goa!"

            "I think he's trying to say 'Gohan'," Bulma said as she walked over to them.  Gohan and Chibi both grinned as Trunks wriggled halfway out of Bulma's arms and reached for them.  Bulma looked down at Chibi.  "Would you like to hold him?"

            Chibi smiled and shook his head.  "No thanks.  Anyways, I think he would rather be held by him," he said, nodding to Gohan.  Indeed, the baby was stretching as far as he could towards Gohan.  Bulma smiled up at the 26-year-old.

            "Do you want to, then?"

            Gohan grinned.  "I'd love to, but I don't know how well I can hold on to him.  Last time I held a baby, I had both arms, and that was trouble enough."

            Bulma laughed.  "Believe me, I know what you mean.  There are times I wish I were an octopus so I could keep everything under control.  It's alright; you can still hold him.  I trust you not to drop him."  She handed Trunks to Gohan, and he carefully wrapped his arm around the baby's body.  Gohan smiled, and Trunks laughed.

            "Yeah, you're gonna grow up big and strong, just like your father.  I just hope you don't start acting like him," Gohan said.  Trunks cocked his sideways and stared at Gohan intently, a wide grin broke across his face as he spread his arms across Gohan's broad chest in an attempted hug.  Gohan's smile widened as he gave Trunks a gentle squeeze.  "I'm Gohan, Trunks."

            Trunks blinked up at him.  "Goa!" he yelled again, and Gohan laughed softly.

            "That's right, 'Gohan'."

            "WOMAN!!!"  An angry voice echoed down the hall, accompanied by heavy footsteps.  Bulma rolled her eyes.

            "Does that man not know that people have names, or does he just not realize that's how you're supposed to address people?" she said, just loud enough for both boys to hear.  They both stifled laughter.  Bulma calmly walked over to the doorway, then proceeded to yell back at him.  "WHAT DO YOU WANT?!"

            Vegeta stormed up the hall and glared at her.  "The damn chamber broke again."  He glanced up over Bulma's shoulder, and his eyes widened slightly as he spotted Gohan, then narrowed again.  "And what, pray tell, is _he_ doing here?"

            "Visiting, sweetheart," Bulma replied sarcastically.  "And as for the chamber…"  She reached up and grabbed him by the ear; Vegeta winced slightly, but quickly fixed his usual expression on his face as best he could.  Bulma turned back to Gohan for half a second.  "Gohan, can you please watch Trunks for a minute?"

            Gohan nodded and tried hard not to laugh as Bulma proceeded to drag Vegeta down the hall and out of Trunks's earshot.  Chibi cringed as Bulma began thoroughly chewing Vegeta out, and pushed the door to.

            Trunks's lower lip quivered and tears welled up in his eyes.  Gohan gently rocked him back and forth, and he briefly wondered if Bulma and Vegeta had always been like this in his timeline.  He shook his head—he hated to think that all Trunks had ever known of the father he couldn't remember was fights with Bulma.

            "I can't believe those two ever got married.  I though Bulma would've ended up with Yamcha for sure," said Chibi as he walked back over to Gohan.

            "I think everyone did.  To be honest, I think that the only reason Vegeta got Bulma pregnant in the first place was so that someone would carry on the royal bloodline."  Gohan rolled his eyes and smirked.  "He couldn't stand the thought of the title going to a 'third-class half-breed' by default if he died."

            "Why does he even bother?  Dad's the only other full-blooded Saiyan, and he always refers to himself as an earthling."

            Gohan didn't have a chance to respond; Trunks chose that moment to reach up and poke Gohan in the nose for no apparent reason.  Gohan blinked in surprise, and Chibi laughed.  "What was that for?" Gohan asked, giving Trunks a playful glare.  Trunks simply laughed.

            "I guess you looked like you needed to be poked or something," Chibi said with a shrug.

            Gohan raised one eyebrow, a wry smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.  "Uh-huh.  And what makes you think that?"  Chibi grinned innocently, then reached over and poked Gohan in the ribs.  Gohan automatically flinched at the touch, then glared at Chibi.  "Don't do that."

            Chibi tried to look innocent.  "Do what, dear brother?"  He poked him again.  "That?"

            "You know, if my hand was free right now, you would be in big trouble."

            "Hmmm…lucky for me, isn't it?" Chibi said with a grin.  Gohan just glared at him a second, then turned away, muttering something along the lines of 'you just wait'.

            He stood over the crib a moment, smiling at Trunks.  "…and when you get big, you're gonna give him a hard time, just like you always did to me, right?"  Trunks laughed, then paused a moment as if he had just remembered something and let out a huge yawn.  He blinked sleepily and mumbled something in baby talk, then stuck his thumb in his mouth.

            Chibi walked over and looked at the baby a minute, then looked up at Gohan, who smiled back down at him.  "Here, would you put him in his crib for me?" Gohan asked, offering Trunks to Chibi.  Chibi unsteadily took him.

            "Can't you…?" he asked, almost desperately.

            "Nah, I'd drop him.  I couldn't get a good enough grip on him."  He chuckled softly, noting how uncomfortable his younger self looked with holding a baby.  "Oh, come on.  It's not that bad, is it?"

            "No, it's just…I've never held him before…I've never held any baby before…"  A small smile crept across his face, and he hesitated a moment before gently laying Trunks in the crib and pulling a blanked over him.  Gohan smiled, first at the sleeping baby, then at Chibi.

            "Shall we be heading back, or do you even want to risk trying to slip past Bulma and Vegeta?"  Gohan asked, glancing sideways at the door.  Chibi let out a long sigh, then shook his head.  They both looked up as the door opened, revealing a strangely calm-looking Bulma and a somewhat miffed-looking Vegeta, who was standing against the wall opposite the door with his arms folded, looking off to one side.

            "Thank you for watching Trunks for me," Bulma said, her voice thick with the syrupy sweetness of forced politeness.  Clearly, she was still angry with Vegeta, but refused to take it out on the boys.  "Where is he?  Did he finally go back to sleep?" She asked, brushing a stray strand of hair out of her face.  Gohan nodded.  A quiet, buzzing noise reached their ears, and Bulma reached into her pocket, producing a cell phone.  "Hello?…oh, hi, Chichi!…what?…no way!  Oh, dear…mm-hmm…yes…oh, sure.  No problem.  Is that all?…alright, bye, then.  I hope Goku gets to feeling better."  She slipped the phone back into her pocket, then smiled at Chibi and Gohan.  "That was your mother.  She can't cook dinner tonight because of Goku, so it looks like you two are eating here."  She looked over her shoulder at Vegeta, her voice regaining that syrupy tone as she spoke to him.  "Is that alright with you, dear?  Surely you won't mind them staying just a little while."

            Vegeta hardly glanced at her.  "Feh," came his only reply before he turned and walked on down the hall.  Bulma rolled her eyes.

            "Ignore him," she said.

            "I try," Gohan replied.  Chibi nodded.

            Bulma smiled, then checked Trunks one more time before walking out into the hall.  "Well?  Aren't you coming?" she asked, looking at Gohan and Chibi.  They smiled at each other and followed.

            Gohan and Chibi seated themselves at the table across from Vegeta, who regarded them with his usual, cold glare before resuming the task of staring grudgingly at the wall.  Bulma busied herself about the kitchen, gathering ingredients and such.  "Gohan, why—oh, wait, how am I supposed to distinguish you?" she asked, pausing her activities momentarily.

            Gohan pointed at his counterpart.  "We've been calling him Chibi, so you can just call me Gohan."

            Vegeta snorted.  "What difference does it make?  I'll call you both 'brat' and expect you to answer."

            Gohan rolled his eyes.  "I could've guessed that.  Anyways, what were you about to say, Bulma?"

            "Hm?  Oh, I was just going to ask why you didn't tell me your father was sick.  How bad is he?"  She half-watched Gohan as she pulled a pot from the cabinet.

            Gohan sighed.  "I'm not sure.  He just came down with it today.  I didn't mention it because honestly, we were trying to get it off of our minds."

            "Oh, I'm sorry, then."

            "No, it's okay.  I just hope that medicine works quickly.  We can't risk him still being sick when the Jinzouningen arrive.  It doesn't make any sense…" he said, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his temple.  "He should've come down with that virus nine months ago.  So why is it just now happening?"

            Bulma stirred the pot as its contents stopped boiling.  "Maybe your arrival your arrival caused a temporal disturbance in the time-space continuum.  Think about it—there were a lot of variances between this timeline and yours just because of your initial arrival."

            Gohan nodded, a look of deep thought on his face.  "True; for one, Piccolo merged with Kami.  That never happened in my timeline.  So basically, you're saying that things we haven't even noticed yet could've been altered, right?"

            "Yes.  You may have even changed it enough that the Jinzouningen won't be released."  She turned back to the table and sat bowls of soup in front of Chibi and Gohan.  Gohan nodded slowly at this thought, then sighed again.

            "I strongly doubt it.  I may have even done just the opposite—they may be stronger, or there may be more of them.  Itadakimasu."  He ate at a fairly human pace, musing over this and occasionally glancing up at the ravenous Chibi or Vegeta.  He found it almost amusing to see Vegeta devouring his dinner in the exact same manner as Goku.  He shook his head as Bulma sat down.  "But if that's the case, then what point was there in my coming back at all?"  Vegeta glanced at Gohan and muttered something in his general direction.  Gohan lowered his spoon.  "I'm sorry, Vegeta, would you care to repeat that?"

            "No.  Had you been listening, you would have heard.  Are you part deaf or something?"

            Gohan glared at Vegeta.  "Yes, actually, I'm about half-deaf in my left ear.  Now, would you care to repeat that?"

            Vegeta snorted at him.  "I was simply trying to decide if it's genetic."

            Gohan raised one eyebrow.  "If what's genetic?"

            "Not having the capacity to use your brain, or at least to think things through.  After all, Kakarot is just like that."

            "No, I don't think it is.  Last I checked, I'm not related to you, so it can't be genes."  He smirked, as did Chibi, though latter did so somewhat more subtly.  Vegeta growled at Gohan, then went back to eating.  Chibi looked sideways at Gohan, then spoke quietly enough so that Vegeta couldn't hear.

            "Your hearing isn't really that bad, is it?"

            Gohan glanced at him.  "Nah; it is damaged, just not quite so much."

            "So you heard him the first time?"

            Gohan smirked again and went back to eating.  Chibi grinned and did the same.  The rest of their dinner was fairly quiet—well, as quiet as it could get with the way Vegeta was eating.

            Chibi ran out the door, waving to Bulma.  "Thanks for dinner!  It was great!" he yelled as he lifted into the air and took off.  Gohan stepped out the door, then smiled at Bulma.

            "Gohan," she said, "I'm glad you stopped by.  It was nice meeting you.  I hope your father gets well soon."

            "Me too.  I'd better hurry if I want any chance of catching up with Chibi."  He turned and lifted into the air.

            "Wait—I have one question."  She smiled in an odd sort of way.  "Trunks isn't going to grow up looking like his father, is he?"

            Gohan laughed.  "No, don't worry.  Had a few more years passed, I probably would've been beating the girls off of him."

            Bulma smiled.  "I'm not sure if that's comforting or not.  Take care, Gohan!"  She waved to him, and he nodded and took off after Chibi.

            Hey, little bro, wait up!" Gohan yelled as he caught up to Chibi.  He ran up alongside him and dropped out of Super Saiyan.  Chibi raised one eyebrow.  "I had to transform to catch up with you.  You got too far ahead of me."  Chibi mouthed and 'oh', then smiled.

            "Sorry, I'm just anxious to get home.  If you'd yelled at me to wait when I left, I would've stopped."

            "No, you wouldn't've.  You probably wouldn't have been able to hear me.  Even if you had, you'd've ignored me."

            Chibi shrugged.  "Maybe.  Are we going to head up the lookout to retrieve your jacket?"

            Gohan shrugged as well.  "Sure, why not?  We've got some time to—"  He was cut off be a huge explosion on the horizon just north of West Capitol.  He came to an immediate halt in mid-air, instinct and habitual reaction causing him to turn Super as he stopped.  "What the hell?" he muttered as he took off towards the glow.  Chibi reached out to stop him, intending to grab his wrist, but catching nothing but his empty sleeve.  The shoulder seam ripped slightly before Gohan realized Chibi had a hold of him, and he stopped and looked at him.  "What?"

            "Where are you going?  Shouldn't we get some help first?  It could be the Jinzouningen!"

            Gohan nodded.  "That's why I'm going.  I've never run from a situation where innocent people are involved, and I don't intend to start now.  Let go."  Chibi dropped the sleeve.  "Now, head on home."

            "But why?  I can help you!"

            "No.  I don't want you getting hurt.  I can take care of this myself.  It may not even be them."

            "True, but what if it is?  You're the one that'll get hurt—or worse—if you go alone!  Let me go with you!"

            "No!  I can't!"

            "Please!"

            Gohan clenched his fist and snapped back at Chibi.  "I've told you twice, I will not let you come!  I don't care how tough you think you are, it's not enough, Trunks!"

            Chibi froze and stared at Gohan, hesitating a moment before speaking.  "You…you just called me 'Trunks'…"

            Gohan blinked in confusion, then shook his head and turned away.  "Sorry, I didn't mean to.  It's just…I guess it just sort of slipped out…you sounded so much like him."

            Chibi glided over to him and looked up at him.  "Are you alright?" he asked quietly.  Gohan glanced at him, then let out a heavy, almost frustrated-sounding sigh.

            "Yeah, I'm fine."  He gave Chibi a small smile.  "Fine, you can come.  But if I tell you the get out of there, you'd better fly like hell's on your heels, got it?  Because if you don't, it will be, and it won't be in to form of any Jinzouningen."  Chibi nodded and smiled, then followed on Gohan's tail as his future self dashed towards the source of the explosion.

            As he was flying, Gohan opened a mental link to Piccolo.  /Hey, Piccolo-san, can you hear me?/  He waited a moment for the gruff reply.

            /Yeah, kid.  Don't worry, I'm on my way./

            Gohan smiled, though his expression was a dark one.  He was sure that whatever they were about to find would not be a pleasant encounter, be it the Jinzouningen or not.

*****

Okay, that's another chappie! I know it's not anything spectacular, but I had to force myself to write even that much, so I hope it's decent.  Anybody want to take a crack at who they're going to find? Yeah, it wasn't much of a cliffy, but I'll tell you this—I've got a pretty good guess as to what most of you are thinking, and the answer is no.  It's probably not who you think, unless you think like me. 

MG: In order to think like you they would have to not think at all.

Then you and I must be on equal wavelengths, right?

MG: Shut up.

Well, I'll try and get the next chappie out faster, and I'll try to make it longer.  I tend to get carried away with battles, so that shouldn't be a problem…well, ja ne, minna!


	12. Initiation

Hey, guys! Sorry it's taken me so long to update, but if you think it took a while for this chappie, just wait.

MG: Yeah. Starting Monday, she's gonna be a sophomore, which means she'll have less time to write.  

Not that you're complaining, right Go-chan?

MG: Nope, not at all, sweetheart. *smirks*

*rolls eyes* My boyfriend, ladies and gentlemen…anyhoo, on to the feedback. That's a heckuva lot of reviews…O_O

MG: No kidding! You guys are on the brink of overwhelming me with reviews! I can only do so much, you know!

So get on it instead of complaining, baka.

Kakkabrat: Sorry I didn't tell you…I will next time, kay? I'm a little obsessed with the Mirai Timeline as well. Almost all my fics take place in or revolve around it. Looking forward to your next update!

Contrail: Hey, it's been a while since I heard from you! Oi, I think everyone agrees that Vegeta's an ass at this point…well, if you don't hate him now, you will by the end of this fic.

Dragonsong: I'll try. ^^ I'm glad you all think I'm keeping everyone in character. Sometimes it's hard to tell.

Davifflaelan: Uh-huh…

            MG: Oo…kay…hm? Nope, sorry, I don't have the dragon radar. There's only one, anyways, so if I did have it, I wouldn't give it to you. Sorry.

            MT: ^^;;; *rubs the back of his head, looking very much like Goku* Yeah, I guess that's true…

            Trunks, it's times like this when there is no questioning who raised you. *glances at Gohan*

Android 71: Ah, you're close on your guess. Well, one out of two ain't bad, ne? 

            MG: *very controlled tone* Do I look like a Jinzouningen to you? I know where you pulled the number 22 from, and I don't appreciate it. I was reading over Ani's shoulder when she read 'Remember Me'. *heavy sigh* Fine…you can call me 'Gohannie'…just don't call me '22'…

Chibi Lauryn: I hope the suspense doesn't kill you! Don't worry, I'm getting to it.

Silver Warrior: Nope, but good guess.  I think I'll just take your word for it on 'Hamtaro'…are you sure you're alright? And anyways, anarchy equals chaos equals fun!

            MG: Only you would think so. You haven't lived through it.

            True, but that's okay. There's enough chaos going on between you and Trunks with your prank wars…

Crecy: Yup, LOTS different. Well, sometimes people just need to be poked. It's unexplainable. 

Frying Pan of DOOM: Thanks! I'll try! 

            MG: Doesn't he call everyone brat? He had to have some way of distinguishing me from Chibi. *smirk* It works.

shadowphoenix: Veggie's a pain, but it makes him fun to write. 

Zaln: Thanks! Yeah, I've contemplated that, and asked Gohan about it, but he has a good reason. I'll get to that later on. 

Chris-Redfield26: Uh…huh…you seem just a tad hyper. Owell! *hugs Chris back* Waitaminit, monkeys? Nani?

            MG: O_O;;;;; Um…yeah…whatever…oh, and thanks for the cookies!

Nasiya: Oi, but I have to make Veggie mean! I'm glad you like it. There's a big fight in this chappie, so here ya go!

Ayden: Thanks! Will do!

manda: Yuppers!

Iceman: Thanks, I'm glad you like it. And as I've said, I have to make Vegeta nasty, or it wouldn't be any fun! 

Luna's Meow: Will do!

Astrozazel: O_O Whoa. That was one heckuva review.  I'm glad you received my e-mail, because there was simply far too much for me to say to put down here. Thanks a lot, and I will try to improve on those points.

            MG: You know, FF.N would be a better place if more people would write reviews like that. 

LPM: OHMYGOSH, you actually read it! *keels over, then glomps her* Heyo, Juu-chan, how much DP did she have anyways?

            MG: Well, it looks like your persistence finally paid off. You got her to read it. LPM, now you see why I don't like this fic! She torments me relentlessly!

            Aw, poor baby. *huggles him, pulls out world's smallest violin, then glomps LPM again* Domo Arigatou! *throws confetti as well* 

SSH: You're dissapointed? Well, tough.  Just wait until we get to the Time chamber…

            MG: Kami help me…

That's all the feedback for now…*grins* I don't care what Gohan says, keep 'em coming! I appreciate you guys' support! Lessee…oh yeah. Disclaimer. Now, if I owned DBZ…well, let's just say that certain demi-Saiyans would be in trouble.  On with the fic!

*****

            A thick haze of dust and smoke filled the air, blurring the outlines of crumbling buildings and reflecting the orange glow of fire from the epicenter of the destruction.  Terrified people clambered over and shoved past each other hastily as total pandemonium fell over the remains of the city.  

            Chibi hugged close to Gohan, the collar of his shirt pulled up over his mouth to shield himself from inhaling too much of the heavy air as they slowly glided over the city, scanning for the one (or ones) that had caused this chaos.  While Chibi's expression was one of slight fear and shock at the sight of everything's state, Gohan looked relatively unfazed, as he was more than used to this kind of disaster.  It was near impossible to tell from which direction the explosion had begun due to the fact that everyone was running in all directions, unsure of where to go in their panic.  Gohan rolled his eyes and dipped down into the street, and Chibi followed.

            Gohan grabbed the next person that passed—an older man—by the arm.  "What happened?" he asked, his tone a bit rougher than he had intended.  The man jerked away and continued running after shooting Gohan a quick look of manic terror.  Chibi looked up at him, fairly sure that it wasn't just the fear he was already experiencing that had caused the old man to give Gohan that look.  Gohan, after all, did have a very intimidating look about him, especially considering how creepy a Super Saiyan's eyes were to anyone that had never seen them.  He tugged on Gohan's shirttail.

            "Maybe you should power back down.  Your Super Saiyan features aren't exactly giving you a friendly aura," Chibi said quietly.  Gohan, though he did not look down or give any other indication he had heard Chibi at all, nodded.  As he continued to scan the city, his hair and eyes became dark, but no one except Chibi seemed to notice.

            Gohan looked down the street to their right; it seemed to him that that was where most of the stampede was originating.  He gestured for Chibi to follow, then began to work his way against the steady flow of people.  One woman, a seven-year-old-boy tightly clinging to her arm, paused for half a moment as Gohan and Chibi pushed past.  "Hey, are you nuts?!  You're going the wrong way!" she yelled, bewildered.  "They're madmen!  They'll kill you!"  Chibi looked up at her, grabbing Gohan's wrist to stop him.

            "Who?" he asked.  "What do they look like?"

            The woman let out a rather exasperated sound.  "What does it matter?  It's an old guy and a teenage boy.  They set off a bomb or something—look, just run!"

            Chibi nodded, and Gohan smiled faintly.  "Thanks," Gohan yelled back at her over the crowds, then turned and continued fighting his way through the masses, ignoring her as she yelled at them again.  They broke free of the crowd and stared at what lay a few blocks in front of them—it did look as though a bomb had gone off; the buildings that had once stood a couple of hundred yards in front of them had been replaced by a huge crater.  The surrounding buildings were half-demolished and were spitting red-orange flames into the air, casting and ominous glow over the wreckage.

            At the center of the crater were two silhouettes, one quite a bit taller than the other, but the height difference was lessened by the fact that the shorter of the two wore a tall hat.  Gohan started forward, but was stopped by a hand placed firmly on his shoulder.  He turned his head and looked up to see his former sensei staring intently at the strangers.  "I wouldn't if I were you," Piccolo said, his voice slightly lower than normal.  "If they can cause this much damage with just one blast, we should be careful."  He glanced down at Chibi, then looked Gohan in the eye.  /Why did you bring him?/ he asked, his telepathic voice carrying a slightly agitated tone.

            /The last time I tried to leave someone behind, it ended up getting him killed./ Gohan explained calmly, then closed the link.  Piccolo did not break eye contact for a moment, then he nodded in understanding and looked back up at the two figures, both of whom had started towards them.  The shorter one stopped abruptly a few feet in front of the trio, looking each one over in turn.  He appeared to be a bearded old man wearing a rather odd outfit with puffy sleeves and pants legs and a tall black hat, which bore the Red Ribbon logo.  The other, who was still taller despite the height the old man's hat gave him, looked like a fifteen-year-old boy with a waist-length green ponytail and a red baseball cap turned backwards.  He was dressed much closer to normal, wearing a blue-green long-sleeved shirt, baggy blue pants with a red sash at the waist, and yellow boots.  His gold medallion, like the old man's hat, had the symbol of the Red Ribbon Army on it.  Both wore similar expressions, though the teenager was smirking, and both had unnaturally icy blue eyes, which Gohan immediately recognized as the eyes of the Jinzouningen.  What confused and, to a point, scared him, however, was the fact that neither of these faces were familiar to him.

            "You are the Namek called Piccolo," said the old man, staring at Piccolo.  Piccolo snorted.

            "Last time I checked, I was.  Who exactly are you?"

            The old man ignored him entirely and looked down at Chibi.  "And you are Son Gohan, son of Son Goku."  Chibi said nothing, but glared up at the old man, who looked up at Gohan and stared at him a minute.  "I have no records on you."  He took a step back.  "I am Jinzouningen Nijugou, and this," he waved a hand at the teenager, "Is Jinzouningen Nijuichi."  The teenage boy smirked and unfolded his arms, then stepped forward and bent to look Chibi in the eye.

            "Son Gohan, eh?  I wasn't expecting to have to kill a baby, but whatever.  If you're as tough as your dad was supposed to be, I guess it'll be a good workout."  He straightened up and walked back over to Nijugou.  "Hey, Doc, shall we fight them now or do you want to head back?"  He looked at Chibi over his shoulder, a sadistic smile stretching across his face.  "I vote to take him now."

            "Do as you please, Nijuichi.  I will not interfere unless it becomes necessary."

            Nijuichi turned and curled his fists up at his sides, a terrible look of grim pleasure on his face.  "I was hoping you'd say that."  He looked Chibi in the eye.  "Alright, kid, what's say we have at it?  Just judging by the look on your face, you're more than ready to pay me back for all this damage.  Well?"

            Chibi crouched into a defensive position.  "Okay.  I'm ready."  Piccolo looked down at Chibi, contemplating stopping him, then decided that it might be more trouble than it was worth.  More likely than not, and attack by Piccolo would cause Nijugou to spring into action, and that was the last thing they needed.

            Nijuichi shot forward without warning, and Piccolo and Gohan both jumped back in opposite directions to avoid getting caught in the attack.  Chibi ducked, causing Nijuichi's foot to slam into a light post instead of his young adversary.  He kicked off of the now-bent post and dove back at Chibi.  Chibi raised his hands to his forehead, one palm overlapping the other, and unleashed a large yellow blast as he quickly yelled "Masenko-ha!"  Nijuichi caught the blast with the side of his hand and deflected it into the sky.  Chibi took this split-second distraction as an opportunity to attack, and he thrust his fist forward, slamming his knuckles into the Jinzouningen's nose.  Nijuichi's hand flew up to his face as he stumbled back a step in surprise.  He just stood there a moment with his eyes closed, then glared at Chibi.

            "Well, well, it seems I miscalculated.  You're a better fighter than I'd expected, kid, and I must say I'm impressed.  But kid, I've got news for you—"  He snatched Chibi by the collar, his movement so fast that no one quite realized what had happened.  "All the fancy moves in the world aren't gonna be enough to save you from me."  He held one finger up a few inches from Chibi's face, and Chibi's efforts to struggle free doubled as a small green orb formed just above Nijuichi's fingertip.  "Too bad you weren't just a little better.  I hate to end this so quickly, but what the hell."  That sadistic smirk crossed his face again as Chibi stopped trying to wriggle loose and his eyes widened in fear.

            Piccolo decided that however much trouble it brought on, attacking was the best option at this point.  He yanked off his turban and cape, threw them down, then charged at his young friend's captor.

            A flicker of motion out of the corner of his eye caught Gohan's attention, and he turned to see Nijugou hover off the ground and fly at Piccolo, his hands raised.  Gohan looked closer to see a red disc on each of the older Jinzouningen's palms, but had no time to contemplate their function.  "Piccolo-san!" he heard a voice yell, then realized it was his own.  Piccolo glanced at him, then whipped around to see Nijugou less than a foot away.  He crossed his arms over his face in a block; then Nijugou did something unexpected.  Instead of trying to attack from a more vulnerable angle, he simply wrapped his hands tightly around Piccolo's right arm.  Piccolo stared at him in confusion a moment before his entire body went slack.

            Gohan's mind was racing to figure out the reasoning behind this tactic, and how Piccolo's ki was being depleted so quickly.  Then he remembered the red discs.  "Oh no—he's absorbing his energy!" Gohan said to himself.  No sooner had it hit him did he notice that Piccolo's arm was slowly shriveling like a dying plant under the Jinzouningen's grasp.  He started forward, then glanced at Chibi.  He knew that they were both in a fair amount of danger, but making a decision was out of the question.  There was no time to choose.  Yellow-white fire shot up through his hair and his eyes turned to green ice as he charged forward, his sights locked on the teenager.

            Nijuichi barely had time to look around before Gohan plowed into him, and in the shock he dropped Chibi, who let out a half-startled yelp.  Both Nijuichi and Gohan smashed into the side of a crumbling office building with such force that any normal person in the Jinzouningen's position would have been completely crushed between Gohan's weight and the brick wall.  Gohan sprang back and rushed towards the old man.

            A blast slammed hard into the small of Gohan's back, and he hit the ground and tumbled.  He dug his fingers into the ground to slow the slide down, then jumped up and wiped his bleeding hand on this shirt as he faced Nijuichi again.

            The teenage Jinzouningen walked slowly towards him, his eyes narrowed and his clothes slightly tattered.  Though he did look scuffed, he was not bleeding at all.  This bothered Gohan even more—the Jinzouningen he knew at least bled when he injured them.  Nijuichi tightened his fists and glared daggers at Gohan.  "My mission is to kill Son Gohan," he stated calmly.  "I've got no problem with anyone else unless they interfere with that mission, and you just got on my bad side, you lop-sided freak."

            Gohan's jaw twitched as he returned the glacial glare.  "You're supposed to kill Son Gohan?  Well, buddy, you're looking at him."

            A look of slight confusion crossed Nijuichi's face, but quickly disappeared.  "Yeah right.  According to my data, Son Gohan was born May 18, 757 A.D, which would make him about ten years old.  I'm guessing that you're in your twenties, right?"

            "I'm 26.  But your data apparently doesn't account for the possibility of time travel."

            Nijuichi's eyes narrowed again.  "What?"

            For a split second, Gohan's eyes darted over to Chibi, who was back on his feet and going to Piccolo's aid.  The corner of his mouth turned up slightly, as Nijuichi was too distracted to notice his target getting away.  "You heard me, time travel.  I'm from seventeen years in the future.  Funny thing is, you don't exist in my timeline."  Gohan dropped slightly and thrust his fist into Nijuichi's stomach, then brought his knee up hard against the Jinzouningen's jaw as Nijuichi doubled over.

            Nijuichi stumbled backwards, tripped, and sprawled flat on his back.  His eyes flickered as he stared blankly at the sky, his face suddenly void of all emotion.

            Gohan, deciding that his job was finished for the moment, turned to help Chibi with Nijugou.  Piccolo's ki still hadn't restored itself, and because energy attacks were useless, Chibi wasn't faring well.  For having the appearance of an old man, Nijugou fought as well as any of the Z Senshi.  Gohan looked over at Piccolo, who nodded.  He nodded back, then walked on towards the battle.

            Nijugou paused a moment and stared at Gohan, then put one hand up to halt Chibi.  Chibi, though confused, drew back and looked back and forth between the two.  Nijugou's eyes widened slightly.  "That's not possible!  Your power level is over three times that of Son Goku's!"

            "Oh really?" Gohan said, smirking slightly.  "Then I'm either a lot more powerful than I thought or your information is outdated.  Either way, you don't stand much of a chance, right?"

            Nijugou's expression returned to normal.  "No matter," he said, almost as if he hadn't heard Gohan.  "Once I awaken Juunanagou and Juhachigou, it won't make any difference how strong you are."

            Gohan froze.  'If they haven't been freed yet, then this is just the first wave!  That's why the attack was in the wrong place at the wrong time…' He narrowed his eyes into a lethal glare and fixed it on the Jinzouningen.  "You won't live to release them.  Not if I have anything to say about it!"  He charged forward, his fury temporarily causing his to forget that this one could absorb energy.  He threw a huge ki wave at Nijugou, who simply smiled maliciously and held his hand up in front.  The blast hit the red disc on his palm and spiraled into it, disappearing and surging into his body.  Gohan mentally kicked himself for being so stupid and made a note not to try that again as Nijugou lowered his hand.

            "Why, thank you for the bust of energy," he said.  "Allow me to repay you."  He charged up a blast almost as large as the one that Gohan had just released and flung it at the demi-Saiyan.  Gohan knocked the blast away with the outside of his wrist and charged Nijugou, his fist drawn back.  He thrust the punch forward and Nijugou ducked, causing Gohan to knock his hat off, which revealed a human brain suspended in a blue liquid inside Nijugou's head.  Gohan chose to ignore this gruesome detail and brought his shin into hard contact with the Jinzouningen's jaw.  Nijugou's head snapped to one side with a loud, sickening pop.  He staggered sideways and fell, his eyes wide as he looked back up at the Super Saiyan glaring back down at him.  Gohan crouched next to Nijugou and smirked as he placed his palm a half-inch form Nijugou's chest.

            "Absorb this," he said as he sent a beam of yellow ki straight through the Jinzouningen.  He stood back up and looked over at Chibi and Piccolo.  "Are you two okay?"  Chibi just nodded and looked down at Piccolo.

            "I've been better," Piccolo said as he stood up.  "Thanks, kid.  That could've been a lot worse."  He glanced down at his right arm, which now hung shriveled and useless at his side, then casually reached up and pulled it off.  Gohan flinched involuntarily, then watched as Piccolo gathered his energy and regenerated his arm.

            "That must be a nice ability to have," Gohan said, smirking darkly.  Piccolo flexed his arm and shrugged.

            "It's come in handy on more than one occasion.  Hey, that was pretty impressive fighting, but you got a little cocky."

            Gohan smiled and powered back down to normal.  Chibi walked over to Nijuichi and nudged him with the toe of his shoe.  "Are they dead?" Chibi asked softly, partially to himself.  Gohan looked up at him, then ran over and grabbed him by the arm.

            "Be careful, bro!  Gero's dead, but that one sure as hell isn't."  He led Chibi back over to Piccolo rather roughly.

            "Gero?  What are you talking about?" Chibi asked, staring at Nijugou.

            "That old man is Dr. Gero, I'm almost sure of it.  I've seen him before—well, pictures, at least.  The guy really was insane.  Not only did he apparently create a small army of artificial humans, but he made himself into one.  They all stood still and silent a moment, then Gohan abruptly turned and started away.  Piccolo hesitated a minute and followed.

            "What's up, kid?"

            "Nothing.  I'm going back to the house."  He stopped and looked back around.  "Hey, Chibi?  Are you—"  He froze in mid-sentence as he spotted Chibi fighting to break Nijuichi's grip.  The teenage Jinzouningen had one hand clamped over Chibi's mouth and was pinning the young boy's arms to his sides.

            "Freeze," said Nijuichi as Piccolo and Gohan prepared to attack.  "One move and I kill the kid right now.  Deal?"  Neither did anything.  "Good."  He looked down at Chibi.  "Now, I know I was supposed to kill you, but now that the doc's dead…" He looked back up at Piccolo, then at Gohan, and smirked.  "It looks like I've got a new playmate.  You want him back, you've gotta catch me first."  He tightened his hold on Chibi, then disappeared.

            Gohan shot forward, a split second too late.  "Dammit," he muttered, then launched into the air.

            "GOHAN!" Piccolo yelled.  The demi-Saiyan stopped, but did not look back.  "Just where do you think you're going?!  We have no idea which way he went!  We're going back up to the lookout—we can track him from there!"

            "_You_ can go back to the lookout.  I'm going after Chibi."

            "Not now, you're not.  That Jinzouningen is going back to Gero's lab, and I don't want you accidentally running into those others Gero mentioned!"

            Gohan snapped into Super, then glared at Piccolo.  "How do you know that's where he's going?  Anyways, I've dealt with Juunanagou and Juhachigou almost all my life."  His voice temporarily dropped in volume.  "I've already lost someone not much older than him to the Jinzouningen.  It'll be a cold day in hell before I let it happen again!" he yelled, then shot out of Piccolo's sight, leaving nothing but a fading golden ki trail.

            _"GOHAN!!"_  Piccolo started after him, but decided he could find Chibi and Nijuichi faster by sticking to his original plan.  With any luck, he could track them down before Gohan and completely avoid the mess they were all about to be in.  He lifted into the sky, turned west, and flew off towards the lookout.

*****

Well, whaddya think? I'm trying my hand at writing a cliffy. Even as much as I hate them, they are fun to write. Oh yeah—minna, I have a favor to ask. If you review this chappie, tell me one point I can improve upon and one thing you would really like to see happen before the end of this fic.

MG: Great. Whenever you ask them for help, it's never good for me.

Yeah, well…you know I love you. ^^; I seem to recall telling you all somewhere around chapter four that we were not going out and would never be, but…things happen over the summer, you know? (LPM, SSH, you two shut up. _I know._)  Oh, and for more experienced FF.N members, I have a question: if you use the 'replace chapter' feature, will it delete the reviews for the chapter you replace? Just wondering, because all of my spelling errors that spell check didn't catch are reeeeeally starting to bug me.

MG: Perfectionist.

So? Ah well. If anyone wants to see what Nijuichi looks like, tell me in your review or e-mail me, and I'll send you a picture, 'kay?  I'm also gonna try and update my site sometime this week, but I may not get around to it.  Well, I must go prepare for the horror that is high school, which starts tomorrow, so ja ne. *shuffles off*

MG: You know, I almost feel sorry for her…almost.  I'm glad I never actually had to go to school. I gotta go comfort her and make sure she doesn't forget anything, so ja ne!


	13. Decimation

Oi vey…very sorry for the lack of updates. You guys need to glomp Kakkabrat (who e-mailed me a few days ago asking if I was still alive) and LPM (who helped me write this chappie and happens to be great at writing fanfics even though she never does. *ahem* Hint hint, LPM?), because they're the ones that really got this update done.  It's just that my first year of high school has been hectic, and I haven't had the chance to write. And when I do, I somehow can't.

MG: Excuses. That's all. She really has, she just "doesn't feel like it" or is "inspired for the wrong thing".

Oh, shaddup, Go-chan. Like you've got a lot of room to talk, Mr. 'But-I'm-crippled!'. 

MG: Whaaat? I know it doesn't work. That's why I'm glad I have big brown eyes—I give you the face, and you're putty in my hand. *smirks*

*glances away nervously and goes a little red* Yeah, well…I…uh…. *mumbles* I'm just a sucker for dark brown eyes, that's all…

MG: Exactly my point, sweetheart.

Eheh….erm….uh, on with the reviewer feedback…

**Digi fan**: Yeah, I know. I took forever.

**Ghost Whisper**: Sankyuu!  I don't know where you were when I started it, but you should've been here reading it! Hey, if you know of any other good Gohan-time-travel fics that aren't on FF.N, let me know, 'kay?

**Android 71: **Yay! Hyper person! (You know, you're acting a lot like me and my friends when we're hyper. That's scary.)

MG: *rolls eyes, then half-glares at A71* What do you think? I'm not a Jinzouningen!!

Chill, buddy. You thought for an awful long time, A71. That must've been tiring; I know it would've been for me. 

MG: *gets caught in flying tackle* AIEEE!!! *thud* Hey! That's her job! *points to Ani*

**Vegito: **Sankyuu! I'm glad you're enjoying it!

**DBZ Chick: **Yay, you like my cliffy! *does Happy Hamster dance*  You want to see Gohan almost get killed, huh?  You and SSH should get together; she wants to see it happen, too.

**simba-rulz: **Yayness! ^^ Yeah, poor Chibi. But I couldn't resist! 

**Silver Warrior: **Sankyuu! (And actually, it wasn't Gero that was heading back to the lab; it was Nijuichi. Gero was killed, remember?)

**Kakkabrat: **Thanks for e-mailing me; I needed that push. And I'm sorry I didn't get it out by the 14th like I promised. ^^;;

            MG: You have no idea how hard my mother's teaching methods are…*shudders*

            And I'm glad Gohan and Trunks promised not to eat your cookies anymore. Bad demi-Saiyans! *blows raspberry at them*

**Knight's Shadow: **Ack, you said something different! Yeah, I'm working on longer chapters; it seems that that's everyone's number one request.

**Luna's Meow: **Thing just keep getting altered, don't they? Although it's too bad Juu-chan didn't get to kill Gero. That was a cool scene. ^^

**Chibi Lauryn: **Yeah, it's tough to get anything done with school in the way. *sighs*  Sankyuu!

**Iceman19: **More action, eh? Fight scene time!

**shadowphoenix: ** Stole what idea? Nani? Wha'd I do?  *sweatdrops*  I've been brain-dead for two months, which is why I haven't updated. Gomen!

**Aleandra Alyra Sarienna: **Ooh, that's a pretty name! Yeah, I miss punctuations a lot. It's not my fault! Grammar check won't tell me! I try proofreading, I really do…

**Crecy: **Hi! *waves*  Yeah, that's why he changed appearance…19 bothers me too much.  Hmm, a square dance…interesting. *sticks a cowboy hat on Gohan's head* There we go.

**Chris-Redfield26:** Hyperness! And you're gonna do WHAT to my Go-chan?!

            MG: Stop poking me! *reads further* O_O Hurry up and update, koi!

**Gozilla: **Sankyuu!

**Mashed Potato Master: **Okies, I will get that pic to you! And dun worry, Chibi's not gonna die. I think…:) You and I need to stick together! *whips out her own indestructible frying pan*  Yeah! You want at Gohan, you gotta get through me first! 

            MG: Thanks, I'm glad somebody loves me. The only reason this baka even has an indestructible frying pan is so it won't dent when she whacks me over the head. -_-;

**LPM: **Sankyuu for helping me. See, I told you it could be done! I just got sidetracked Friday…huh? Rabid…wombats? Thank you, Juu-chan. I think she was a liiiittle sleep-deprived.

**SSH: **I can't kill them off!…yet…

            MG; *growls*

            Whaaat? Wha'd I do? Ha, you were wrong! It didn't take me a month, it took me two and a half months! (I guess this is not something to be proud of, ne? ^^; Eheh…)

Well, that's all of that…hey, Go-chan! 

MG: *looks up from his slice of cake*  Yeah?

*blinks, then smirks* I was going to ask you to do a disclaimer, but you seem to have chocolate frosting all over your face.

MG: *lopsided Son Grin; runs forearm across mouth* Yeah, I know. Your mom is a good cook, though! Hey minna, wish her a happy birthday—her birthday was the 14th.

Thank you, Gohan.  Anyhoo, on with the fic!

~*~ 

            The traditional white cape and turban reappeared on Piccolo's shoulders and head as he landed lightly at the edge of the lookout.  Mr. Popo hurried over and took his hand.  "Ah, Kami-sama!  I'm so glad you're back.  I was so worried."

            "Hey, Popo.  Listen, have you been watching everything that's been going on?  I have to find the other Jinzouningen."  
            Mr. Popo nodded.  "Yes, I have.  He is going back to the laboratory, as you predicted.  We must do something before he releases the other two!"

"I realize that, Popo, but I'm more concerned with keeping Gohan—both of him—out of trouble.  It doesn't matter if he reaches the lab before us; they're probably programmed to be released anyways."  Piccolo turned and looked down at the earth far below them.  " I just wish I could pinpoint Nijuichi's location."

"You can, sir."  Piccolo looked at Mr. Popo a minute in confusion.

"How?  He doesn't have a ki signature to track"

Mr. Popo smiled knowingly.  "But young Gohan does.  You could track him, since he is currently in the Jinzouningen's possession."

Piccolo slapped his forehead.  "Now, why didn't I think of that?  Thanks, Popo.  You really are a lifesaver."  He closed his eyes a moment, focusing in search, then opened them suddenly.  "Got you," he said under his breath, then waved a final thanks to Mr. Popo and dove from the lookout, maxing his speed in only a matter of seconds.  Nijuichi was moving incredible fast, which meant that catching him would be no easy task.  Piccolo quickly located Gohan's ki as well.  He was headed for the same point, but Gohan was much further ahead and moving at a much greater speed than Piccolo could.  The Namekian cursed to himself in his native tongue—he was not going to make it in time.

A gold streak pierced through the clouds, fading slowly in the wake of its creator.  Gohan's unnatural aqua eyes scanned the landscape for any sign of his counterpart or the Jinzouningen.  His hand was clamped tightly on his throbbing shoulder, and he cursed in a hiss through gritted teeth.  The pair was nowhere in sight.

"Dammit!" he yelled aloud.  "I take my eyes off of his for one second, and look what happens!  I've been through this once before, and I sure as hell don't need it happening again!  Damn Jinzouningen…here are you, you son of a—"  He narrowed his eyes on a small red dot moving along the ground.  As he dropped altitude, he realized that the dot was Nijuichi's hat, and Nijuichi had a limp purple object tucked under one arm.  Gohan recognized that object as Chibi once he was within fifty feet of the ground, the purple his gi.  Gohan smirked and curled his hand into a tight fist at his side.  "Gotcha."

Nijuichi sped over the landscape, mere inches off the ground, his arm wrapped tightly around the demi-Saiyan boy's waist.  He was close to the lab; he glanced about frantically, his eyes darting back and forth in search of the cave-like entrance to his creator's home.  A look somewhere between relief and excitement crossed his face as he screeched to a halt and swung a hard right turn towards the hidden doors.

His free hand flew over the keypad and the thick metal doors slid open, then shut silently but tightly behind him.  He ran his arm over Gero's worktable, knocking all the various papers, tools, and parts off in the floor, and carelessly dropped Chibi's unconscious body onto the now-cleared top.  He looked around the wall.  He looked around the lab, then walked over to the numbered pods lined up against the wall.  He looked up at the ones numbered 17 and 18 and smirked.  "Looks like we're going to be working together after all, guys."

Gohan landed on the ledge outside Gero's lab and calmly walked up to the door.  He looked up at it, running his hand down the seal, then glanced at the keypad.  "Well, now," he said, taking a step back, "I could just blast the door open, but I risk hurting Chibi.  I could try cracking the code on the keypad, but that would take too long."  He let out a long sigh through his nose.  "As you always said, Dad, where there's a will, there's a way."  He hooked his fingertips on the edge of the door and pulled back with all his strength—but nothing happened.  He tried again, but to no avail.  "For all the good this is doing…" he muttered under his breath.

"Why don't you just stand aside and let a true warrior take care of it?"  Gohan glanced over his shoulder to see Vegeta standing in the entrance, arms folded, eyes fixed in his trademark glare.  Gohan snorted and went back to trying to pry the door open.

"Who invited you?"  he said roughly.

"No one had to, boy.  I sensed your power level and figured I should come see what the fuss was."

"Why did you even bother?  It's not exactly like you care what happens."

"No, but I figured that if those Jinzouningen you've got everyone so worked up about had shown up, I might as well come fight them.  If everything you've told us is true, it should prove to be a nice little bout."

Gohan gave up with the door and turned to look at Vegeta, his eyes narrowed.  "A 'nice little bout'?  You really have no idea what we're up against, do you?  Right now, things are looking a helluva lot worse that I originally predicted.  There's another one now, and he's currently got Chibi and is probably about to release the pair that decimated my world."

Vegeta shrugged.  "So it will take a bit longer than I was planning.  I don't care if there's an army of them; I'll send them all to the scrap heap.  Now stand aside so I can blast that door down."

"Did you not hear me?  That Jinzouningen has my counterpart in there!  You blast the door down, and knowing you, you'll blow up the whole lab!"

"I see no problem with that.  Now either move, or I blast you as well."

Gohan  rolled his eyes.  "Vegeta—"

"Back off, kid.  He's not going to blast anything," Piccolo said as he landed lightly behind the Saiyan Prince, shortly followed by Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, and Chaozu.  "I hope you weren't thinking of taking on all the Jinzouningen on yourself.  At any rate, I brought help."

Gohan smiled, though it was not very friendly.  "Thanks.  We're going to need it."

"Who is 'we', exactly?  Unlike you, I have the strength to destroy them by myself," Vegeta snapped.

"Uh, Gohan?  Piccolo?  I'm not sure how much help we're going to be," said Krillin rather shakily.  "I mean, didn't you say they killed us in your timeline, Gohan?"

Gohan nodded.  "Yeah, but things have changed.  They weren't even supposed to show up for another couple of weeks, and my dad should already be dead.  You guys spent the last few years training, so it shouldn't be that hard as long as we work together."  Vegeta snorted, and Gohan glared at him.  "That was part of the problem.  In my timeline, instead of taking the twins on at once, you all fought one at a time, making you easier to kill.  So as long as that doesn't happen…"  He carefully enunciated each word in the last sentence as he looked around at the group to make sure his point was made clear.

Piccolo cleared his throat.  "I believe all we need to do is get the door opened, then."  He looked over at Gohan.  "You're tried everything?"

Gohan sighed through his nose and looked up at the heavy steel doors.  "Everything I'm capable of, short of blasting this whole rock into oblivion."

"If you ask me," Vegeta said, "that doesn't sound like a bad idea.  We might as well just get rid of the whole damn lab."

"Is that your solution for everything?  Just blow it up?" Gohan yelled impatiently.

"I don't see why not.  If these Jinzouningen are really that tough, they'll survive the explosion at least long enough for me to kick them around."

"Vegeta, what is so incredibly hard for you to understand about everything I've said?!"

"Well, if you are all quite done arguing, you might want to start figuring out that you're going to do once the door is opened," said a mysterious voice behind them.  Gohan froze—he knew that voice all too well.  His eyes narrowed as eh slowly turned and found himself face-to-face with the last person he wanted to see.

"Juunanagou…" he hissed.  The raven-haired Jinzouningen smirked.

"Hello."  Juunanagou was standing against the doorframe, his arms crossed.  Behind him and beyond the open doors lay Dr. Gero's laboratory, occupied by a multitude of machines, failed of incomplete experiments, and the one other person Gohan had hoped to see: Juhachigou.  Nijuichi stood in the corner, a smirk almost identical to Juunanagou's on his face, the table he had laid the young demi-Saiyan on a few feet to his left.

Juunanagou turned to Nijuichi.  "Where's the old man, anyway?" he asked in his usual quietly self-assured tone.

"He's gone," replied Nijuichi simply.  "Transplanted his brain into a robotic body to try and cheat death.  Didn't quite work."  He smiled wolfishly.  "One-arm over there blew him to scrap metal."

"Really?"  Juhachigou raised an eyebrow in slight surprise.  "Should have known the good doctor's arrogance would be his downfall."  She brushed her hair back behind her ear.  "He thought he knew it all."

"Aw, dammit, he's dead?"  Juunanagou spat to one side with a scowl.  "I wanted to kill him myself," he grumbled.

His twin sister shrugged.  "Oh well, c'est la vie."

"Why are you all just standing around?" Vegeta snapped exasperatedly.  "They're just a couple of kids!  How dangerous could they be?!"

Juunanagou smirked at his sister.  "Did you hear that?  Shorty wants to know how dangerous we can be!"

"Should we show him?" asked Juhachigou, smirking back at him.

"Not yet," answered her brother.  "I want to ask One-arm something."  He turned to Gohan, the sneering expression still plastered on his face.  "Would your name happen to be Goku?  Nijuichi here says you have similar stats."

Gohan, who was still locked in SSJ mode, clenched his fist.  "No, it isn't," he replied through gritted teeth.  "It's Gohan. I'm Goku's son."

"Really?  Who would've though.  Doesn't surprise me, though.  You look—"

Vegeta, having lost what little patience he had, suddenly flared into Super and exploded in a flash of ki towards the Jinzouningen.  "No!  Stop!" Gohan yelled, but it was too late.  The Saiyan Prince had already taken off.

"Join your maker, you insolent brat!" he screamed, pulling back his fist to strike Juunanagou's jaw.

Juunanagou had just enough time to roll his eyes at the idiocy of the Saiyan race and hold up his hand to stop the hard right to his jaw line.  Vegeta's momentary confusion and fury at being blocked gave the Jinzouningen ample opportunity to jab his knee into the Prince's solar plexus, downing him for the time being.

"Goddammit," Snapped Juunanagou, "can't I say _anything _around here without being interrupted?"  He rolled his eyes again, kicking the fallen Saiyan out of his way.  "Anyway, as I was saying, you look a lot like Goku."  His voice took on a kind of mocking tone as he sneered at Gohan.  "I don't know, I kind of prefer "One-arm' over 'Gohan'."

Ki flared up from Gohan's body in anger.  "Shut up, you son of a—OOF!"

Smirking, Juunanagou withdrew his fist from Gohan's stomach and retreated back into his spot in the doorway.  "Reflex check," he hissed mockingly as the demi-Saiyan gasped for breath.

Piccolo stepped over and put his hand cautiously on Gohan's back.  "You alright?"  Gohan, who was bent slightly and had his arm wrapped tightly over his stomach, forced himself to nod.  He coughed and straightened himself as best he could.

"Yeah, just fine," he said, and almost sarcastic tone to his voice and an expression somewhere between fury and pain on his face.  He looked down at Vegeta, who was struggling to his feet, then back up at Juunanagou.  "Reflex check?  More like cheap shot.  You want a fight, I'd be more than glad to give you one."

Juunanagou shrugged.  "I've got better things to do with my time than fight an invalid," he said as he turned and walked back into the lab.

Gohan's eyes narrowed a little more, but he made no move towards the Jinzouningen.  He instead held his ground, his fist clenched tightly at his side, contemplating his next move and trying to keep his temper in check before it caused him to do something stupid.

"I guess.  There's nothing better to do around here.  Hey, Nijuichi, why did you drag that kid back here?"

"I thought it might be fun to have someone to mess with later.  I'm supposed to kill him anyways."

Juhachigou tilted her head a little.  "I thought your programming was to destroy Gohan.  Although the kid is closer to the age he's supposed to be…"

"I've explained this once," Gohan said from the doorway, "we're the same person.  You want to kill him, you'll have to get though me first."

"Is that an invitation?" Nijuichi said, slightly amused.  "Alright, then.  Let's go."  He started towards Gohan, and Gohan's muscles tensed in preparation.  In an abrupt jolt, Nijuichi launched himself at the demi-Saiyan.

Gohan drew his hand back to his side, his ki rushing into a fast-forming blue ball, then thrust it forward.  The blast grew larger as it hurdled towards Nijuichi; the Jinzouningen flung himself to the side to avoid being hit and the ball of ki slammed into the back wall of the lab.  There was a small explosion, but it was obvious that something big had been hit as bolts of electricity emerged through the clearing smoke.

Krillin's eyes widened.  "Hit the deck!" he yelled.  "This place is going up!"

No sooner were the words out of his mouth did another explosion occur a little further down the wall, shortly followed by several more—then one huge ball of fire engulfed the entire lab as everyone dove for cover. 

~*~

Well, minna? What'cha think?  I know it's not that long, but I figured that I could either stop there and post tonight, or I could keep writing and wait another week.  Oh, and another reason it took so long is because I was going through all the other chappies and correcting spelling/grammatical errors I didn't catch the first time.

MG: Actually, that didn't take you that long.  You were editing about three or four chapters per sitting.

Shut up, they don't have to know that!  Ahem, anyways…actually, I don't have that much to say right now.  I hope you don't all try to kill me; I'm going to try and have the next update out by Christmas, but I can't make any promises.  (Hey, minna, if you all tell LPM you want her to help me with future chappies as well, I might get them out quicker! _Hint hint_…)

MG: *slaps forehead* You're just lazy, that's all.  I thought that turning 16 was supposed to bring more responsibility?

Now, my dear Go-chan, where the heck did you get that idea?

MG: Never mind.  Hey, here's a novel idea—why don't you log on so you can post this?

You know, that's not a half-bad idea. ^^; Oh, and one more thing, minna-san—I'm beginning to think I should up the rating on this.  What do you think?  It hasn't reached its bloodiest yet, but the language factor might call for an 'R'.  And thanks to everyone who read 'Fade to Black'! I'm glad you all liked it!  Ja ne, minna-san!__


	14. Annihilation

MG: *walks in and looks around, then gulps upon seeing the faces of several angry reviewers* Um…hi. Don't worry, minna-san, she's back with an update.

*shouts from somewhere in the background* And by my deadline, too! Tell them that! I kept my promise! The only reason it wasn't out yesterday  is because my computer wouldn't let me connect to the internet!

MG: Yes, she is getting it out around Christmas, as promised, even if it is short and below standard.  

*storms in the room* HEY! Don't you be criticizing my work, honey. *nervously smiles at the reviewers* Um…hi.  Don't kill me…and if what Go-chan said is true, it's because I read through all of my old reviews on this fic, got inspired, had to meet the deadline, and wrote the whole chappie in two afternoons. So in advance, GOMEN NASAI!!! *bows low*  Um…yeah…on to the feedback!

**shadowphoenix2**: Yay! You wished me happy birthday! *dances around, then hands her a slice of cake* Yeah, so my birthday was a while back, but I used my authoress powers to make the cake not stale! 

MG: Say, when is your birthday?  Mine's May 18th. Huh? Arrogant? That's the first time I've heard that one…

I'm glad I made your day better, too.  It feels good to know I can do that.

**Vegito**: Eheh...well, it didn't take 2.5 months, ne?

**DBZ Chick1**: SEE? I kept my promise.  Better than out by New Year's, right?

**Silver Warrior**: No kidding. Boy, am I gonna have fun with this! *sadistic smile*

**Serenitystone**: Yeah, those are my favorite sagas, too.

            MG: Only second favorite? Darn.

            Ah, chill, Go-chan. I love you.

**Android 71**: *hugs her back* Yes, maybe you should update that…*glares* Ah well. Glad you like FTB, by the way.

            MG: Dear Kami-sama! You actually called me 'Gohan!' *hugs her for no apparent reason*

**Contrail**: Yup, 'bout time, ne? Yeah, Veggie's an ass. But it makes him fun to write!

**Knight's Shadow**: Hey, another long update! Say, that's a cool idea. I dunno…it might be amusing to see how the two Gohans react to each other at that point, considering they'd be about the same age, but I've got other stuff to work on.  Send it to Android 71; she could do it more justice than I.

**See Saw**: Hey, thanks! *blushes* Don't worry, angst is the best.

**The ShadowPanther**: Jeez, everyone is changing their names. I have to check bios and past updates just to keep track of who is who! And I gave LPM a glomp for you at school…think I caught her off-guard, too. 'Twas funny.

            MG: Hey, you'd have anger issues too if you were me.

**Digifan**: Sankyuu!

**jinsakazaki**: Thanks! Reviews are getting harder and harder to come by… 

**Chibi Lauryn**: I do most of my surfing in class, too, because my computer at school is faster. Class sucks, ne?

**That lil' ol' Blue Girl**: Gohan music vid? I'm interested!

**Mashed Potato Master**: Yeah, he's mine, but there's enough of him to share.  (I mean, jeez—he's 6'2" and weighs a good 300 pounds at least, and it's all muscle. ^^) Wait…Gohan's my…muse? *falls over laughing*

            MG: I am _not _her _muse!_  I'm her boyfriend! And I could care less if she never writes anything again, so how could I be a muse?!

            *reaches up gently and rubs his shoulders* Chill, koi.

**Chris-Redfield26**: Yeah, we know. And send poor Haku back to 'Naruto'. I'm updating.

**Calen**: Huh? Oh yeah, that fight…well, Gohan was a bit preoccupied when he fought Juunanagou, and he hadn't had time to fully recuperate from the last battle.  Cut him some slack. Pretty cool how well he was doing against them before they started double-teaming…he had it there for a while.

**SSH**:  _FEH._

**LPM**: Eh, tell Jarian to take a walk through the herpaterium.  And if you're so inspired for _Dragonblade_, then why aren't you working on it?

            MG: She is, just the wrong part.  Kinda like someone else I know…*glances at Ani*

            Yeah, yeah. Go write those Juu-chan fics you were gonna do before I write them for you! You'd be better at writing them than me, and I've got other things to do! Ah well. *glomps her back* 

Okie day, that's all! Hope you enjoy this…oh, and I reloaded all of the chapters, this time carefully edited.  Maybe I should hire LPM as my beta reader…

As always:

_blah = _flashback

/blah/ = telepathy

'blah' = thought

"blah" = speech

~*~

            Gohan shook his head as he pushed himself up off the ground.  'Damn…I must've blacked out for a second…' he thought furiously as he stumbled to his feet.  He looked skyward, sensing Piccolo's ki above him, and found his former sensei locked in a duel with Juunanagou and Vegeta holding his own against Juhachigou.  The youngest of the Jinzouningen was nowhere to be seen.

            "Gohan!" A voice called.  Gohan looked around to see Krillin running towards him, fumbling with the tie of a small brown bag.  "Gohan, are you alright?  You're bleeding!"  He offered a senzu bean to the demi-Saiyan, but was ignored.  Gohan reached up absently and brushed his fingertips over his forehead, then brought his hand back down and looked at the blood on his fingers.  "I guess I hit my head or something," he said, wiping the blood on his shirt.

            With that, he launched himself skyward to aid the Namek and the Saiyan Prince in their battle.

            Piccolo swung with a hard right blow towards Juunanagou's nose, but the Jinzouningen ducked and brought his shin into powerful contact with the Namekian's ribcage.  Piccolo's eyes widened and he drew in a sharp breath, clutching his side.

            "Ooh, I heard that one," Juunanagou said mockingly.  His smirk was quickly replaced with a slightly confused look as he noticed that his adversary's eyes were locked somewhere behind him.  "What the—" he said, turning, but was cut off as a blue sneaker plowed forcefully into the side of his face.  The momentum of the blow sent him flying into the ground.

            "Funny how easily I can take him down with that move," Gohan said, hovering over to Piccolo.  Piccolo smirked.

            "I take it you've done that to him before, then?"

            Gohan shrugged.  "Eh, once or twice."  His expression turned serious.  "Krillin's got the senzu beans.  I can take Juunanagou—you go find Nijuichi."

            Piccolo nodded and dropped out of the sky, almost synchronous with Juunanagou rising up to meet his new rival.

            "Well, well.  One-arm decided to play the hero.  Too bad you've got your father's brains."

            "You've obviously never faced him in battle."

            The male Jinzouningen snorted.  "Soon as you all get out of my way, I'd love to.  It's all part of the game."

            "Game?" Gohan hissed, his aqua eyes narrowing.  "That's all it ever was to you—just a game.  Well, I hate to break it to you, but the game's over!"  With another surge of anger fueling the ripple of ki surrounding him, he charged.

            He thrust his fist upward, aiming to connect it with Juunanagou's jaw; instead, his wrist connected with his opponent's hand as the Jinzouningen calmly grabbed him.  Gohan winced—the last time he'd been in this situation, his shoulder had been dislocated.  Instead of trying to break Juunanagou's grip, he drove his knee into the Jinzouningen's stomach.

            Juunanagou immediately let go and clutched his midsection, then glared up at Gohan.  Gohan's expression remained deadly.  "Reflex check," he spat.  Juunanagou straightened back up.

            "Let me make it perfectly clear that I hate being mocked.  You are quickly finding your way to the top of my list of things to dispose of."

            Gohan raised his eyebrows slightly in a sarcastic gesture.  "Really?  What a coincidence.  You and your sister are already at the top of mine."  Again he launched himself at the Jinzouningen, his hand drawn back in preparation for a ki blast.  "Take this!" he yelled as he propelled the gold orb at Juunanagou.

            Juunanagou's eyes widened temporarily; he hadn't expected a blast that large considering how short it had taken to create it.  He flung himself to one side, the blast deftly missing him, then glared back at Gohan—but Gohan wasn't there.  "Alright, where'd you go?" he said.

            "Looking for me?"

            He whirled, and was immediately caught in the face by the same blast he had just dodged.  It had been deflected back at him from behind, obviously in a well-planned attack.  He reached up to rub his eyes and wipe the blood from his cheek, then shot a lethal look at Gohan.  "How the hell did you pull that off?!" he snapped furiously.

            Gohan smirked.  "Instant Transmission.  One of my Father's moves.  You like it?"

            "Why, you—" Juunanagou snarled, then dashed forward into a head butt.  Gohan recovered quickly, as expected when that sort of attack is used on a Son, but righted himself directly into a flurry of ki blasts.  Oddly, they were all missing.  'What is he doing?' he thought, then noticed that the balls of pseudo-ki weren't dissipating in the atmosphere; instead, they were remaining stationary, forming a sort of floating minefield.

            Gohan looked up at the devilishly smirking Jinzouningen anxiously.  "Oh shit," he muttered as Juunanagou brought his spread arms towards his body, causing the blasts to fly at Gohan.

            At sign of impact, Juunanagou clapped his hands together as if dusting them off.  "Well, that wasn't so—" His icy eyes narrowed again as the smoke cleared and he spotted Gohan hiding inside a transparent blue orb.  "An energy shield.  You are full of tricks today.  Where are you hiding your bag, Felix?" he said sarcastically, mostly to himself.

            "Is that the best you can do?"  Gohan yelled as he dropped the shield.  Not waiting for a response, he vanished using I.T., reappearing mere inches behind the Jinzouningen.  "Lights out," he hissed, delivering a swift blow to the back of Juunanagou's neck.  Juunanagou's eyes went wide, then he slumped forward and went into a freefall towards the ground.  Gohan glided a few feet forward, not caring whether or not his adversary actually hit the earth and shouted down to Krillin.  "Hey, where'd Piccolo-san go?"

            "He went to find the other Gohan—hey, watch out!"  Krillin yelled back, his voice taking on an alarmed tone.

            Before Gohan could reply, an arm had been wrapped around his neck and a hand was pinning his arm behind his back.

            "Gohan, I'm a Jinzouningen.  Did you honestly think I'd have the same pressure points as an ordinary human being?" Juunanagou said in his usual cool tone, and he tightened his arm across Gohan's throat.

            The demi-Saiyan choked and winced, struggling to get air into his lungs and break the Jinzouningen's stranglehold.  He tried to twist his arm out of Juunanagou's grasp, but Juunanagou's grip was firm and confident.

            "Aw, what's the matter?" he jeered, almost in the manner one would address a young child.  "Can the poor little cripple not get away from the big bad Jinzouningen?  That's too bad."  He slowly constricted his hand around Gohan's wrist, listening for the sound of snapping bones.

            Gohan tried again to wriggle free, but to no avail.  He could feel the bones in his arm bending under the pressure, not quite reaching the breaking point.

            "Let him go!" came a young voice from behind, followed by the infamous cry: "Kame—hame—HA!"

            Juunanagou suddenly released his captive.  Gohan gasped and fell out of Super, his hand immediately flying to his throat.  He coughed a couple of times and shook his hand in an attempt to get the throbbing in his wrist to stop as he turned to see his rescuer—his counterpart.  He smiled a little.  "Thanks, little bro."

            Juunanagou glowered at the nine-year-old.  "You are going to regret doing that.  I thought Nijuichi was going to take care of you, anyway."

            Chibi just shrugged and drew himself into a defensive stance.  "I don't know where he went.  You leave my brother alone, alright?"

            Gohan rolled his eyes.  "You're gonna get yourself killed," he muttered, then louder and firmer, "Chibi, don't."

            "Go get a senzu bean.  I can hold him off," Chibi replied defiantly.

            /No, you can't.  Trust me—I would've been killed too in the initial battle had Piccolo-san not knocked me out and gotten me out of the way.  You're not strong enough./  He locked his eyes sternly with Chibi's, and Chibi dropped his stance.

            "Chickening out?"  Juunanagou asked, quirking an eyebrow.  "You're smarter than your counterpart."

            "Get back to the ground," Gohan said to Chibi.

            "No, don't go anywhere," said a mysterious fourth party.  Juunanagou was the first to respond.

            "Well, hello, little brother.  I was beginning to wonder where you'd gone."

            Nijuichi smirked.  "Plotting.  It seems that out sister has taken care of Shorty, and I've come to complete my mission."

            "Oh?" Juunanagou said doubtfully.

            The younger Jinzouningen's expression turned dark.  "Back off, bro.  I've come to the decision that if I can't figure out which is the real Gohan, I'll just take them both out.  Nice knowing you," he said, then closed his eyes.

            Juunanagou smirked and saluted, then dropped to the ground.

            "Gohan's eyes widened in fear.  "He's gonna self-detonate!  Get down!" he yelled as he dashed towards Chibi, barely reaching him before Nijuichi let out a loud cry and set off his own destruction with an explosion that engulfed the entire area.

~*~

Yeah, so I did it again.  Ain't y'all happy I didn't kill off Chibi? ^^

MG: Whoop-de-do.  Instead you leave us stranded in an explosion—_again._

Eheh…yeah, well…I had to.  Sorry.  Anyhoo…ooh!  I got a GBA SP and _LOG 2 for Christmas!  Coolest part of all—it opens with a bit from the Trunks special.  Go-chan makes such an adorable little sprite! ^_____^ *glomps him*_

MG: -_-; See what I've been putting up with? This, and her talking about going to buy _Budokai 2 with her Christmas money.  Ah well…she got me some good CD's for Christmas, so I can always drown her out. *puts in his copy of _My Own Prison_ and puts on his headphones*_

Boy, some jolly elf he's being.  (He was Santa last night, by the way, and I, of course, was his little Elf, being an Elf already.) Sorry, but the next update will probably be the rewritten, extended prologue instead of a new chappie. It might take a while, anyways; I've started a fic so AU that a change of character names could make it an original fic. Keep an eye opened on Desolation, too—I should have some new artwork up soon.  And some of it is REALLY pretty, if I do say so myself. ^^ Well, Merry Christmas, minna-chan!  


End file.
